Incognito
by ericastwilight
Summary: Edward Cullen just wants to join the masses at an annual event, but he needs a disguise. Will the young artist help him walk around incognito or expose him before the day even starts? A birthday fic for MyOnlyHeroin.
1. Chapter 1

**Incognito**

 **Summary: Edward Cullen just wants to join the masses at an annual event, but he needs a disguise. Will the young artist help him walk around incognito or expose him before the day even starts? A birthday fic for MyHeroin1**

* * *

 **Chapter One**

For the first time in over ten years, Edward Cullen had some time off—almost a year's worth. It was a shame he didn't have the luxury to go out as he pleased to enjoy it. Stopping to fill up his gas tank at local station was a pain in the ass, and the last time had been dangerous. Stupid fucking paparazzi and a few obsessed fans had chased his car for several miles. For what? A picture of him in sweats and a t-shirt, typical attire for a lazy Sunday. A trendsetter he wasn't, nor did he want to be.

He had a few loyal friends who had been there before he'd become the highest paid actor in Hollywood. They kept his ego from over-inflating and helped him with the tasks of grocery shopping and other such simple things that most people took for granted. How he wished things were a little different. Fame had its perks, but also a lot of cons; lack of privacy was only one of them. He hated having to ask his friends to pick up food for midnight cravings, so he usually ignored those—something his trainer always appreciated.

An event, a rather popular one, was coming up soon and he wanted to attend. How did someone famous go to something so highly publicized, full of hundreds of fans, and enjoy the experience? Unless the individual was a part of a panel, it wasn't in the best interest of anyone highly recognizable. The first time he'd attended a panel for his television series over seven years prior had been insane. Even before making an appearance on the panel, he had made the mistake of walking around alone. No more than ten minutes later, he was recognized and ambushed, even groped in private places. It was a lesson learned, and since then, he feared overzealous, obsessed fans. Nobody blamed him, they'd seen the bruises.

So how the fuck was he supposed to attend this once a year event? His cousin, Emmett, had given him a wild, crazy idea. One he'd be stupid to consider and his own agent told him not to even think about it.

But he did think about it.

He thought about it for several weeks, and when the tickets went on sale, he grabbed a pass for Comic Con, San Diego. Emmett never thought he'd go through with it, but had made it clear that in order for it to work, Edward would have to go incognito. The event was usually filled with cosplay loving fans, and he could spend the whole time in costume and no one would ever know it was him. His hair, eyes and jaw were too easily recognized; fans had social media accounts dedicated to them. It meant he had to choose which character to portray carefully. He still didn't know who he wanted to be for the event, but he had to find the perfect one.

Edward also had to attend on his own, Emmett pointed out days after he bought the pass. His usual bodyguard, lovingly named by his fans as _Jerk Off Jake_ for his tendency to refuse to bend the rules for fans, was just as recognizable. The only friends in the area would cause the same mayhem. Emmett was reaching A-list status on his own with his iconic roles and indie dramas. Jasper Hale, a dear friend from back home, was the lead guitarist in a popular band, and wouldn't be able to walk into the event. His blue eyes, long undercut hairstyle, and heavily tattooed body was unmistakable, no matter what he wore.

He was on his own.

.

.

.

Bella twisted her lips to blow an annoying curl from the front of her face. She was tempted to cut the fucker off, but she was elbow deep in plaster and in no position to do anything about the itch on her cheek or her stupid hair. It was a bad day for her assistant to call in sick, hence the reason her phone hadn't stopped ringing for several minutes. It wasn't her home phone, either; it was her personal business cell phone. It was the most direct line to reach her and the only people who had it were high end clients, or in most cases, their assistants or agents.

She cursed several times, bumped the counter with her hip until the phone rotated enough for her to see the screen—an unknown number. Not unusual, but annoying as fuck. She had to answer it, even though she was busy. She needed a big project to get her juices flowing.

Figuratively speaking, of course.

She had no other choice but to answer, so she did with her nose. Thankfully, she stopped locking the damn thing when she was working. She usually forgot her passwords anyway. Once the call connected, she tried to put it on speaker, cheering when she did it successfully. "Yay!"

"Uh, hello," the voice on the other end said. It was deep, smooth, and rich. Didn't help her pinpoint who the hell was on the phone.

"Sorry about that," she said, laughing a bit. "I had to find a way to answer my phone without my hands and I did, so yay."

"Okay." The simple word was drawn out as if he thought she was crazy or stupid. "I'm looking for Ms. Swan."

"Speaking, how can I help you?" She used her business voice, hoping to change his opinion of her fast. First impressions were important, even if sometimes, they were made over the phone.

For a moment, she thought the caller had hung up on her, but he cleared his throat. "How did you answer your phone without your hands?"

Now, it wasn't her fault her big mouth decided to rear its ugly head, sometimes things passed through her lips unfiltered. "Since my phone was in my bra, my nipple, what else?" It was said with so much conviction, a touch of sarcasm, but she almost believed herself. However, the mysterious caller started to cough, rather hard, on the other end of the line. _Oops._

"Sorry, I'm usually not this much of a spazz, I apologize. I answered it with my nose."

"Something tells me you have these, crazy moments often." She looked her phone and imagined herself flipping the asshole off, but her brain decided to say the words, too. "Excuse me?"

"Hey, you called me. Let's get to the point, I'm in the middle of a casting and I don't want to ruin it."

Again, after several seconds, she wondered if he hung up. She wouldn't blame him, but he was wasting her time. She was frazzled with her never-ending to-do list and it wasn't even eight in the morning.

"All right," he said finally, not offering an apology. She hadn't expected one anyway. "I need a movie quality costume, custom fit and in time for Comic Con."

The fucker was delusional, but she managed to keep those words to herself. A few choice curse words slipped through. Not only was she swamped with orders for the same event and photography for three weddings, she still needed time to start her own cosplay costume. On top of that, it was three weeks away. Not even a month, which was what she usually took for such work and he called her crazy.

"Are you mad?" she hissed, looking for a hidden camera. She wouldn't put it past her assistant, Seth, to play a prank on her while he was out sick. It wouldn't be the first time.

"No." The word sounded more like a question than a fact. "Can you do it or not? You were highly recommended and you've worked with some friends who wanted to stay under the radar."

Ah, now she understood why the rush and the fact he hadn't said who he was yet.

"I'm rather busy with other orders," she replied, silently thankful that she wasn't on a panel that year. It was fun, but stressful as fuck.

"I'll pay you thirty thousand dollars, half up front and the rest if my identity isn't compromised by the day of the event."

"Are you serious?"

"Will you be willing to sign an NDA?"

It wasn't the first time she was asked to sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement and it wouldn't be her last. She realized she had already made up her mind about the opportunity. The money was as enticing as the voice on the line, lending a raspy purr to her own words. "Yes, I'm willing."

There were a few seconds of silence, followed by the caller clearing his throat again. "I'll have my people send over the form."

"Fine, I do need measurements and an idea of what you want so I can work on some sketches."

"Can you work with measurements from my tailor?"

"You want movie quality, custom fit, right?" He replied with a soft yes. "Then no, I'll need to see you myself, and it all depends on which character you want to cosplay as."

"I have a few ideas, but I can run them past you tomorrow." She would have to clear her schedule, and call in Sam and Leah if she wanted to get anything else done. They made arrangements to meet the following morning at her house and only if the NDA was signed and returned beforehand. There was no need to give him her address, because he already had it.

Hollywood was creepy as fuck sometimes, or all the time, just in varying degrees. Less than thirty minutes later, the NDA arrived at her studio, and the messenger waited as she read it over and signed it. The mysterious client had yet to disclose who he was, but she expected it. What she hadn't expected was the various spring flowers, ranging from yellow sunflowers to bright pink tulips, delivered to her studio with an apology for calling her crazy and a thank you. She had to give him some credit for the gesture, and it had been too long since she received any flowers. She found herself looking forward to the meeting the following day.

* * *

 **AN: This was written for the lovely MyHeroin1 who has a birthday today. Betaed by kyla713, any mistakes found are my own since I always add things, lol. Its ten chapters and if all goes well (crosses fingers) I'll post two chapters a day for the next five. Now who do you think Edward is going to Comic Con as?**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

* * *

Edward watched the house for several minutes, wondering for the hundredth time what the hell was he doing there. It had taken some diversion tactics by his friends for him to slip unseen by the paps near the entrance of gated home. Could he walk a hundred yards without being spotted? The house wasn't big—modest most would say—easily the most colorful house on the street. He tapped his fingers on the steering wheel, meeting his reflection in the rearview mirror. The darker shade of his hair helped disguise him somewhat, as did the color contacts, but his scruffy jaw was still easily spotted.

A movement across the street caught his attention, his gaze landing on a beautiful woman standing on her tiny porch, staring in his direction. His eyes roamed over her curves as her hands rose to sit on her hips. The move drew his gaze there, and he wanted to know what it would feel like to hold her there, too. It clearly had been too long.

His untraceable, disposable cell phone vibrated on his thigh. It shouldn't have surprised him to find her name on the screen with a text message.

 _You planning on staring at my house for much longer? I have work to do._

He chuckled, finding her honesty and tenacity refreshing. His net worth and A-List status would prompt most people to kiss his ass, something he often found worked in his favor, until it got boring.

"On my way, Ms. Swan," he said, locking up and pulling the bill of his baseball cap lower. He purposefully hunched his shoulders and relaxed his posture so as to not to look so damn tall; another recognizable trait. At six-four, he stood over a lot of people, even the lithe Ms. Swan, coming in at just under five-nine.

If she recognized him, she didn't show it. "Play along," she said, greeting him with a hug as if he visited often. She gestured for him to walk inside her house while she looked around under the guise of watering the plants on her porch. The door clicked shut behind her a minute later, followed by the turn of three deadbolts. He stood awkwardly in the middle of her living room, his eyes having a hard time settling on anything for long. Her furniture was dark, simple with clean lines, her hardwood floor a few shades lighter. Jake had said she was a mixed media artist, and dabbled in just about everything. It was the artwork covering the walls from floor to ceiling that caught his particular attention, including an altered poster of him.

 _Damn it._

.

.

.

Bella wanted to pat herself on the back, since she had figured out who her new client was before he arrived. He'd given her all the clues during their brief phone call, including the fact he was highly recognizable and had taken some time off for the next year. His quote of "taking some time off" made headlines for a few weeks. She had told him point blank during their call that the chances of someone not figuring out who he was at Comic Con wasn't high, unless he covered his face. When she tried to tell him what it was like, he simply stated he attended the event before and had been on several panels. It didn't take much research for her to figure it out, his voice being the most important clue. She had recognized it before, just couldn't pinpoint it while they spoke on the phone.

Now she had to make sure she didn't scare him away; the fact he was glaring at his poster made her cringe. She wasn't a fan of him, at least not in the same way some of his fans were nowadays. But she loved the show that had catapulted him to fame. And he was ten years older than her, though he still looked to be in his mid to late twenties.

There had been conflicting reports about him as an actor, as it was with most in the industry. The people who had nothing nice to say about him were likely the ones he refused to fuck. The rest were mostly crewmembers, who remembered how Edward Cullen took the time to learn their names and had an excellent work ethic.

Having worked on several productions in theatre and film, Bella had her fair share of horror stories and only a handful of experiences she'd say were pleasant. Blacklisted for refusing to suck some producer's dick, she still managed to keep herself busy. After winning several accolades in the cosplay world, she had a loyal list of clients willing to pay for some of the more elaborate pieces for their costumes and she had a knack for photographing them.

"You're a fan." He said it with some anger, but also fear. "Was some asshole pap outside to take pictures of our hug on the porch?" She understood his trust issues; she had seen some of the pap videos of various celebrities. "This isn't a good idea."

Bella crossed her arms over her chest, cocking an eyebrow and waiting for him to look at her. When he finally did, he stepped back a little. She had been told when she was pissed, she looked scary as fuck, none of that cute shit with her. Good. "What?"

"I didn't call anyone," she said in a soft tone in an attempt to keep him calm, but her voice started to rise. "I kissed your cheek in case someone was watching. Remember, I asked you to wear jeans, a grey t-shirt, and cap for a reason. My ex is of similar build and height, anyone watching wouldn't think anything of him visiting again."

The scowl he'd worn since he walked inside intensified. "I remind you of your ex?"

"Not really." Dismissing it quickly. "Anyway, I signed an NDA and agreed to be the _only_ one working on the costume. Not even my assistant knows about it, and he's a nosey little shit, but I love him. Please put away the attitude and let's get those measure –" Her phone decided to interrupt her, and the sound was coming from where else?

Her bra.

The bastard was trying hard not to smile or stare at her chest. "Are you going to answer with your nipple this time?" She rolled her eyes. "I don't mind if you answer." He offered her a smile, one she couldn't help but stare at—he had such pretty teeth. And lips. She had hoped he'd at least be a gentleman and turn around, but no, he only grinned, his thumbs hooking into his jean's pockets, looking edible.

Damn him. His hair was considerably darker than his unusual bronze hair, but it was still the same just out of bed look he always had. Dressed in dark washed, perfectly fit jeans, a light grey t-shirt, and blue hoodie, he looked like he had just stepped out of a dirty dream.

Not one of hers, honest.

"Excuse me," she said, shoving her hand in her shirt and pulling out her phone. Another pat on her back was deserved for the sudden shifting in Mr. Cullen's stance and his poor attempt of covering up a groan.

She had an excellent rack and they were real, thank you very much.

It was Seth again. Her studio was on the back end of her property, so she had him take work home and transferred any studio calls to him to maintain her client's privacy. So why was he calling her for the third time in the last hour? Since it was the first day off she'd had in the last three years, he was probably dying to know what the fuck was going on and she wasn't about to tell him.

She typed out a quick message to his number, earning a chuckle from her guest. _Client_ , she had to remind herself.

"Tap any harder and you might crack your screen."

"It's my nosey assistant. I need to nip his need to know everything I'm doing now, before he stops by for something."

"It's not a good idea for your boyfri…assistant to see me here." The anger was back in his voice, but it couldn't be helped. She was just being honest.

"He won't since I just asked him to drop off something to Tanya Kane, the fashion and makeup vlogger." He looked utterly clueless. "Anyway, he loves her. And Seth is not my boyfriend."

His eyes narrowed for a moment, but a second later, he simply nodded. "Where do you want me?"

Her eyes roamed over his chest and flicked to his amazing thighs in those sexy jeans, but only for a second. The answers she had to his question would undoubtedly send him running. "That's a loaded question."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

* * *

Bella watched as Edward faked a laugh and flipped her off under the guise of running his fingers through his hair. It was cute. Hot. And she was staring, oops. He fidgeted under her gaze, so she started going on and on about what she does and how she does it. Whenever she was even slightly nervous, she rambled. Everything she said seemed to go over his head as she led him through her kitchen and into the backyard. The closer they made their way to her small studio in the back, the more apprehensive he became.

"I'm not going to knock you out and keep you hostage ala Misery style, Ed—" She grimaced. "Mr. Cullen, sorry."

"I wasn't worried about that. You're too small anyway."

She stopped walking, turned to face him and glared. "My size is deceiving. I promise I pack a punch."

The corners of his mouth suddenly lifted into a smile, leading into a hot as fuck laugh. "I'm joking. You're pretty easy to rile up, Ms. Swan."

"It's Bella and your mood swings are giving me whiplash, Mr. Cullen," she said, unlocking her studio and leading him inside. The property was larger than most in the area, surprising for an artist to afford.

"How are you making ends meet since you were blacklisted?"

Of course, he'd know about it; she huffed behind him. Everybody did, luckily some clients didn't give a shit. "I inherited the property from my black sheep of an aunt five years ago. And for your information, between my art, some custom cosplay work, theatre work, photography business, and my holiday decorating business, I'm doing just fine."

"It must have helped when Rosalie Hale outed the studio for not crediting you for _your_ Oscar winning costume design."

"She's amazing. She was so pissed Howell had me fired." She showed him around the modestly sized studio. The ceilings were vaulted and a light color, windows made up most of one side of the small building, and every surface of the place was covered in artwork of just about every kind.

"I love this place," he said, mesmerized by a kinetic art piece, as a fan blowing nearby kept it moving. "You did this?" It looked like an imploding star.

"Meh, I have a lot more to learn before I'm ready to put them out on display or sell them."

"Let me know when you do. I'd love one of these."

Bella ducked her head so he wouldn't see her face flush, but he was still watching the sculpture. "Thanks and I will."

"You're sort of a jack of all trades."

She nodded absently as she grabbed her iPad and tools. "Let's have a seat so we can discuss what you're looking for."

"Jake said you like working with leather," he murmured, his gaze on a self-portrait of a woman from the neck down.

A nude one.

"Mind not looking at my tits while I'm talking to you," she teased, keeping her voice light. His eyes widened before he backed away from the painting and followed her to a wall with a mural of a panoramic view of a forest. The details of it were amazing as was the colors.

"Uh, sorry about that," he said, jabbing a thumb over his shoulder. "I didn't know it was you."

"Now you know."

He rolled his eyes and gestured for them to get on with it. She pulled a skull wall scone to unlock the mechanism and pushed the doors to reveal her sewing room.

"You disguised barn yard doors to look like a wall, nice." Impressed, he walked further into the room. He headed toward a comfortable-looking leather couch she pointed to as she grabbed a couple bottles of water from a small fridge. He settled on the chaise portion of the couch after thanking her for the drink. "I have a few ideas, and unfortunately, they're all complicated."

"I'm guessing you want to cover your face." She sipped on her water and grabbing her iPad off a leather ottoman.

"As long as I can breathe, see, and talk, well, yeah, I'd like to wear something over my face. But not Chewbacca level coverage."

"That eliminates him out of the running." She made a few notes and looked at him. "Th new hair helps a bit, but you'll have to keep talking to a minimum." She tapped a few buttons on her iPad and hummed. "Villain or superhero?"

"No preference."

"Kylo Ren?"

He snorted. "What he wore was cool, but he leaves a lot to be desired character wise. I'd like to go as someone I like." Her hand fluttered over her heart, trying not to swoon. At least he agreed with her thoughts about the character. "Why do I have to keep talking to a minimum?"

"Your voice helped me determine who you were before you got here."

"Well shit, I thought I was being all mysterious on the phone with you yesterday and kept my voice kind of low."

Her eyebrows rose, one more than the other. "Oh, so that was on purpose?"

Edward casually shrugged and sat back to watch her as she continued to look through an array of characters on the screen. She was beautiful, the woman who seemed to have her fingers in a lot of pies. How she kept it all straight, he had no idea. Her home and studio were as awe inspiring and gorgeous as their owner. Her dark hair was held up in a messy bun with a paintbrush and what appeared to be a clothespin. He wanted to see all those waves come down over her shoulders.

"Are you going to make me keep calling you, Mr. Cullen?" she asked without looking up, but there was a hint of a smile on her lips.

"Not sure I can handle you calling me by my first name."

She looked up from her screen, cocking her head to one side. Her lips pursed a little and fuck if it didn't set his blood to a simmer. Any more looks like the one she was giving him right then, he'd be a goner. Trying to keep her at arm's length hadn't been easy since his arrival, for every attempt she found a way to break through his walls even if he tried to deny it. He didn't have time to pursue a relationship at the moment, and she had commitment written all over her sweet face.

 _You have nine months off, asshole._

He smiled.

"Mind telling me what has you smirking, Mr. Cullen?"

It wasn't the time to share, yet. "Call me Edward."

"All right," she said slowly, shrugging. "I have a few suggestions."

"Lay it on me." He waited to see if she'd take the bait.

Her right leg started to bounce a little, but she returned her eyes to the screen. "Okay, how about Loki?"

"He doesn't wear a mask. How would he work for me?"

"But he does wear a helmet, and if I added a few extensions and darken your hair," she glared at him playfully when he tried to protest. "The color would wash out. You'd have to wear contacts."

"Contacts aren't a problem," he lied easily, hoping she'd move on. It was something he always had an issue with all his life. The idea of putting something in his eye repulsed him. He'd cross that bridge and fight to avoid it when it was time.

"The helmet and staff are simple enough to not take too long to create. Loki's costume is incredibly detailed. It will be cutting it close, but I can manage." She turned her iPad for him to see the costume she had in mind, it was the one from the second Thor movie.

"The helmet looks uncomfortable, but let's put it on the maybe section." She nodded and continued down a list, they spoke in depth about all of them and finally narrowed it down to two Marvel characters.

"I can make this easy for you, I'll gender flip the one you don't choose and I'll wear it." His jaw dropped open, staring and imagining her in said costumes. Her eyes narrowed when he hadn't responded. "Please tell me you're not one of those guys who pitch a fit over gender swaps."

"No, I'm not. Just imagining which one you'd look like as either one." Meaning, which one would be a touch more revealing?

She placed her iPad on the ottoman, waiting for him to continue. Only he didn't, he was still imagining what she'd look like. It couldn't be helped, since she'd look amazing as either one. "And?" she urged, in need of a reply.

"Will you come with me to Comic Con?"

* * *

 **AN: I know, I know. I'm evil. So Edward will go as either Loki or another Marvel character. We'll find out who in the next chapter. Thanks everyone!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

* * *

From the look on Bella's face, Edward had shocked her, but then she remained silent. For over a minute. Her staring wasn't helping, either. Why hadn't she answered yet? "Bella, you're giving me a complex here."

"Aw, poor baby." She nibbled on her bottom lip before answering. "In all honesty, I'm trying to decide if you want me to come along with you for emergency costume repair or—"

"You're not very confident of your work," he said, already knowing she wouldn't like it. Her full lips thinned, but she didn't take the bait he dangled in front of her.

"Or if you're asking me for another reason." She waited for his answer, but he sat back, happy to have the upper hand for once. It was her territory and she knew more about him than he did of her. It was never a good idea to lay it out there so early in any relationship, whether it was business or personal.

"As a friend, of course. These kind of events are better enjoyed with others, though you make a good point on the emergency repairs."

"If I'm cosplaying, I get stopped a lot for photos when I attend. Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure. Since I have to keep talking to a minimum, it might be a good idea to have someone who can do the talking for me." He hoped he could avoid situations that would call for her to do all the talking, but he would be prepared for it. Memorizing the character's lines would help keep him on script so to speak.

She seemed to be debating about his offer. He couldn't imagine her saying no, why would she? Technically, she wasn't going to be seen with him in public, so she wouldn't get her fifteen minutes in the spotlight. So what? He was a nice enough guy; it helped that Jake, Rosalie, and Emmett had recommended her. Why would she say no?

She pulled him out of his thoughts as she seemed to come to a decision.

"I have to do your makeup and hair so we'd have to discuss hotel arrangements, maybe get adjoining rooms."

"Or you could stay with me, a friend of mine has a place down there and no one knows I stay there when I'm in the area."

She hummed, but eventually agreed. "I'll cancel my hotel arrangements then."

Edward gave one sound clap his hands, excited about finally doing something some would consider normal. Not to mention the fact he was going to indulge the side of him most didn't know about; he loved the comic book world and gaming. He wanted to enjoy everything Comic Con had to offer and he was going with someone who seemed to love it as much as he did.

He sat closer to the alluring Bella to hover over her iPad as they tried to decide who would be who. Something told him the next few weeks would be unforgettable.

.

.

.

"Fuck," Edward whispered twenty minutes later.

"Oh God," Bella hissed, her hand skimming over his thigh.

He looked down and groaned, trying hard not to flinch under her touch. "Jesus, Bella."

"Stop you're whining. I'm not going to stick a pin in your groin, Cullen." She started calling him that since they came to an agreement.

"I can't help it, that thing looks vicious." She was holding something sharp near his balls, insisting it was only her pen. She rolled her eyes and bent her head to take a closer look. Having forgotten to put her contacts in or grab her glasses, she had to get pretty close. It was only making the whole situation harder.

"I hope you're not like Joey's tailor." Edward felt her fingers still. Had he said that aloud? Shit. Did she even understand the reference?

"Don't worry, there will be absolutely no cupping to get your inseam." She giggled and snorted, humming as she went back to work.

Edward had to admit it took considerable concentration not to pitch a tent in his jeans with her so close and her head near his crotch. It wouldn't be professional, and in the last ten years in the business, he was rather proud of the fact that he was capable of not getting a boner during love scenes. It wasn't so hard—no pun intended—considering the number of people who watched during filming. Yet, there he was in the middle of a studio with a beautiful woman who captured his interest, made his blood simmer, but with the potential of a full boil if she got any closer to his dick with her beautiful lips or hands.

"You have a VIP pass, right?" he asked, hoping that talking would prevent from embarrassing himself.

"Of course," she scoffed. "Thankfully, this year I'm not doing any blogging. I'm going to just enjoy myself and fangirl with everyone else, and just have fun."

"Now you have to babysit me," he tried to sound sad, but she saw right through him. His hand lifted of its own accord and slipped a curl of her hair from her face. She stared at him. "What?"

"I don't mix business with pleasure, Edward. Until I fulfill my end of the bargain, we can't be anything but friends."

"You think awfully high of yourself, Swan." He rolled his eyes. "And I'll agree to your terms, under one condition." She looked up from her position on the floor and he tried really fucking hard not to think about how her mouth would look wrapped around his cock.

 _Too late._ It had been way too long since he'd been with anyone.

"What's that?" she urged. Most of her hair had escaped the messy bun it was in, another curl teasing the curve of her cheek, while some tickled her bitable neck. He wanted to spend an inordinate amount of time exploring it.

What were they talking about again? "If you're asking about what's in front of your face, then we have a problem." She poked his thigh with her fingertip hard, surprising him. "Fuck, how do you get any business with this kind of service?"

"Focus, Cullen. State your condition."

He sighed and exhaled sharply, trying to find the right way to say what he wanted without sounding too interested. It was never a good idea to be eager with anyone in his business. Most would take advantage of the situation and he didn't know Bella enough to trust her fully yet. He had made a decision to try to pursue her already, but he still had to be cautious. It seemed she was feeling the same ways.

"How about you finish taking the measurements and we'll talk about if after you're done?" Hopefully it would buy him enough time to get his thoughts together.

"The anticipation is killing me," she said in a sarcastic tone, but continued. "Whatever you want, Cullen."

He purposefully deepened his voice. "In that case…" She poked him again. "Fuck, Swan. Do you have demon claws or something?"

"Not at all." She held up her hands for her to see short nails instead of the talons he felt she had.

This was the most unorthodox start to a friendship he'd ever had and one he hoped to explore further. She was fun to be around and though he still held his guard up, he rather enjoyed the comfort level they seemed to have reached. Despite his justified fears and trust issues, he genuinely wanted to get to know the sometimes quirky, but absolutely alluring Bella Swan.

An hour later, they were sipping on coffee and finishing some breakfast that Bella threw together after their stomachs simultaneously rumbled in the studio.

They finally decided on Edward attending Comic Con as The Winter Soldier while Bella went as Loki. They made arrangements to meet in a few days to start the process for the metal arm for his costume.

"So tell me, Goddess of Mischief, any chance I can see a sketch of what your costume would look like?" The idea of her in lots of leather appealed to him. She had already admitted to creating gender swap sketches of various Marvel and DC characters.

She rose to her feet and grabbed their plates to place in the sink. "I have a few of them, yes."

"Give it here," he demanded, holding out his palm for her iPad.

She handed him a sponge instead. "Do the dishes since I cooked and I'll show you." No one other than family and friends would dare ask him to do such a thing.

"You drive a hard bargain, Swan."

She ignored him off as she started working on sketches for his costume. He turned on the water and looked around for what he needed to do as she asked. The give and take thing they had going on was working so far, so he'd indulge her for a while longer. He was positive she thought he wasn't capable of doing a menial task anyway, so he wanted to prove her wrong.

Too bad he was already failing. "Uh, where is the dish soap?"

He heard her laugh before joining him. "What am I going to do with you?"

"Now that's a loaded question."

She poked his side and handed him the dish soap in some fancy container. No wonder he hadn't found it. "I was joking about the dishes," she stated, leaning against the counter to watch him.

"It's the least I can do for making me breakfast."

She mumbled something under her breath, but refused to repeat it. "Give me about twenty minutes and I can get your sketches ready." She walked over to the kitchen island where her iPad waited. "I'm sure you're busy."

"Not really. I have nine more blissful months off."

She hummed but it sounded off. He looked over his shoulder to find her using a pen to draw on her tablet, already working on a sketch. "And how long before you got bored?" she asked suddenly. He grunted a non-answer, but she asked again.

"Four days. I lasted four days before I started painting a room in my house just to kill time. Two days later, I bought my first set of power tools. My house is fucking perfect, but I keep making up projects to have something to do."

She laughed her ass off.

* * *

 **AN: Okay now you know, Edward is going as the Winter Solider aka Bucky Barnes from Captain America. Bella is going as Loki. I decided he wouldn't go as Loki for three reasons, one Edward's jawline is pretty damn recognizable, even with the helmet his jaw would be seen. The second reason is because Loki likes to hear himself talk, and Edward is supposed to keep talking to a minimum. Last but not least, no one, and I mean no one can out do Tom Hiddleston as Loki. Not even Edward Cullen. See you all tomorrow.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

* * *

"How do you know Jake?" Edward asked, looking over some of Bella's artwork when they returned to her studio after breakfast. He turned to watch her carefully for any indicators on her feelings for his friend.

Jake had been reluctant to share Bella's information, probably because Edward wasn't completely honest on why he needed it. He outright lied to the man, telling him his cousin, Emmett, and his on again girlfriend, Rosalie, told him that she made excellent movie replicas. It was half-truth of sorts; they each had a few of her pieces. In the end, Jake shared Bella's phone number, and told him straight out, not to fuck with her. The threat was clear in his tone and Edward wanted to know why.

"Jake and I are complicated." She looked up from her sketching. From her almost wistful expression, he'd guessed they had, at one point, dated. He wasn't sure how he felt about it.

"Ross and Rachel complicated?"

She shook her head, meeting his eyes. "Try Ross and Carol complicated, even though we probably dated for like two minutes, but we've been friends since we were in diapers." She shrugged and returned her attention to her iPad.

"Wait a minute. What are you trying to say?"

"One of us is gay." She rolled her eyes and held up the iPad, probably in the hopes to change the subject. He dismissed the sketch with a wave of his hand and asked for some clarification.

"I've known him for two years, Bella. I would know if Jake was gay."

"He's careful about who knows, don't take it personally." Bella grabbed his hand as he paced in front of her, tugging him down to the couch. "He doesn't talk about those he protects to anyone, but he has mentioned trusting anyone in the industry was stupid."

"Why wouldn't he tell me, though?" Edward leaned back, staring up at her ceiling—even that was a piece of art with a huge, iron medallion in the center. It upset him to realize how much he didn't know about Jake, a man who knew just about everything about him. "Almost done?"

"In a hurry?" Bella looked at him for a moment. The color of her eyes was hard to describe; there was some blue, bursts of green, and flecks of brown. "Got a hot date or something?" She gave a small laugh, though it sounded a little off.

Edward grunted and chuckled. "Yeah, a hot date with my television and Netflix."

She was watching him closely now. "Throw in some popcorn and it sounds like my kind of night."

He could be real honest, tell her there hadn't been anyone in months, but instead, he had another idea. "What are your plans for the day?"

"Besides working on your costume." Her words reminded him about his condition and tentative arrangement. She seemed to remember, too. "What's your condition?"

He thought honesty would be best at the moment. "I don't want you to go with me to Comic Con if its only because I'm paying you."

Her shoulders relaxed; he hadn't realized she'd been so damn tense. She was hard to read sometimes. "You are paying me to make a movie quality costume."

"Exactly."

"We're going to Comic Con together to offer each other support and its always better to go with someone who enjoys the same things you do."

"Did you say yes because you were afraid I wouldn't hire you?"

"Of course not, Edward."

At least she wasn't biting his head off, because she understood where he was coming from. It was hard to determine the real motives with someone new in his line of work.

"So if I decided to take back our deal and have someone else make my costume, you'd still go with me?"

"I'm making your costume, Edward." She placed her iPad on her coffee table and shifted until she was facing him on the couch, one leg tucked beneath her. "I've been wanting to work on something like this for a long time, but never had the time. Don't take that away from me just because you want to get in my pants."

"It was a hypothetical question," he groaned, averting his eyes. "Okay, that might be not be true. A part of me wants to say fuck it, and take my business elsewhere so you'd go out with me." He drew an imaginary halo around his head. "I'm not a saint. You know I want you."

She nodded, though she didn't look pleased by his answer.

"But it's not just about wanting you, Bella. There's seriously something wrong with the idea of paying you to be my friend. You and I both know there's enough of that shit going on in Hollywood, and I don't want that with you. But I want to make sure you're coming with me for the right reasons."

"Okay." She didn't say anything for a while, picking her iPad back up and hopefully thinking over what he said. After a few minutes, she handed him the tablet and pointed out all her ideas and when she'd need him to come in for a fitting. "I don't know what to say," she said after concluding business. "But I'd be disappointed not to be able to work on your costume." His lips started to twitch, but he kept the smile from showing. "I would still go with you if you took your business elsewhere."

There was no stopping his grin. "I knew you liked me." She poked him his side with her demon claw and told him to go home. He grabbed her hand before she could stab him again, and pulled her closer. He loved the little catch in her breath. "I still want you to make the costume, but the original agreement still stands."

"Huh?" She looked dazed; he had that effect on people. "Original agreement?"

He repeated the words he said over the phone the day before. "I'll pay you thirty thousand dollars, half up front and the rest if my identity isn't compromised by the day of the event."

She blinked. "Meaning our business would conclude _before_ Comic Con." Her words sounded breathless or was his imagination playing tricks on him?

"Why yes it would mean that, wouldn't it?" He pressed a kiss to her cheek and stood up from the couch. "I'll be here day after tomorrow for the casting." He had wanted to see if they could hang out all day, but leaving now was for the best. He didn't want Bella to try to change the rules on him.

Bella's front door closed behind him, seconds later he heard her scream, "You're diabolical!" Edward left her house with a little bounce to his step.

* * *

 **AN: I keep telling myself ten chapters, that's it, but this Edward keeps laughing at me. Another update in about two hours, need to start dinner.  
**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

* * *

***2nd update of the day

* * *

Emmett handed Edward a beer as they settled in his backyard a few hours later. His cousin was leaving the next morning for a month to film in Australia and Edward wanted to spend some time with him before he was gone. Despite different last names, most wouldn't know they were cousins by looking at them. Emmett's hair was much darker than Edward's natural color and he was far bulkier.

"So what did you think of Bella?" Emmett asked, typing out a text on his phone. "Rosalie says hello, by the way."

Edward couldn't help but smile as he pictured Bella hard at work in her studio. "She's perfect." He knew a few artists and how, when they were focused on their work, they lost track of time and sometimes forgot to eat. Jasper would spend days holed up when working on new music. He should check on her; there was nothing wrong with a friend having concern about her wellbeing.

"Fuck, you've got to be kidding me," Emmet groaned in the lounge chair beside Edward. "Rosalie will kill you if you pump and dump with Bella. She likes her."

Edward shot his cousin a glare. "First, gross. You know that I stopped doing that shit years ago."

Admittedly, he had fallen into some bad habits those first few years of fame. He'd slept around more than he had during his college years, but he wasn't exactly proud of the fact, like most men. But he had always treated the women with respect and made it clear he wasn't interested in anything serious.

"Maybe, but you still haven't had a real relationship since high school."

That was true, but it wasn't for the lack of trying. _Real_ was hard to find among his peers. "It's hard to have one in our business." His bullshit radar wasn't always working and he'd been burned a few times.

Emmett nodded, knowing the truth of his words. He wanted it all with Rosalie, but her past kept coming back to haunt her, and often sent her running scared. Edward knew he loved her too much to ever truly move on, but he hoped it worked out. No one deserved it more than Emmett, who had managed to keep his head screwed on right when fame came knocking on his door.

"Maybe she shouldn't work for you if you plan on asking her out."

"She wants to work on this costume. She's been wanting a project like this for a while. I can't take it away from her." Emmett looked surprised, his eyebrows shooting up to his hairline. "I can be patient."

"Yeah, you're so good at waiting." Emmett laughed. "All I'm saying is please be careful with her."

"How well do you know her?"

Emmett shrugged. "Not as well as I'd like. She's come by Rosalie's several times when I'm there. She's cool, but kind of cautious. Let's just say, Rosalie had seen what happened with that dick, Howell." Something dark fell of his cousin's features. "Rosalie doesn't like when a man won't take no for answer. You know what had happened to her."

Everyone knew what happened to Rosalie six years before; it had been all over the news and social media for months. When all the press seemed to move on, it started all over when her kidnapper/stalker plead not guilty to the charges.

Imagining Howell's pudgy, ruddy face anywhere near Bella made his fist clench. "Remind me never to work on one of Howell's projects." He never worked with the man before, and hoped it would never be suggested that he should. Producers weren't the only ones capable of blacklisting in the business. There were plenty of actors and actresses who refused to work with certain people.

"When are you seeing her again?"

"Wednesday, she needs to make a mold of my arm and shoulder for the metal arm piece."

Emmett started to laugh, pretending to shave his armpit. "Don't forget to shave."

"I'm never going to live that shit down, am I?" Edward flipped him off, deciding it was time to head home.

"You mean about how you screamed like a fucking banshee when they pulled off your chest hair in makeup?" Emmett was having too much fun at Edward's expense. "Not fucking likely. They warned you to shave before they put on the prosthetics."

"I'm leaving." Edward rose to his feet, leaving his neglected beer, and headed back inside the house.

"Aw, come on!" Emmett followed him through the house and walked him to his car outside as Rosalie pulled up behind him. "Hey, babe."

Rosalie Hale was, by Hollywood's standards, the most beautiful woman in the world, but she did absolutely nothing for Edward. She reminded him way too much of his Aunt Kate on his father's side, with the same blonde hair and blue eyes.

"Edward, Bella called me a while ago."

Shit. Was she going to give him the same warning Emmett had? "And?"

"She said to call her, there's a problem." He reached for the phone he bought just for Bella, but it wasn't in his back pocket.

"Shit, I lost the new phone." Unlocking his car, he started to look for it. "Did she say what was the problem?"

"No," Rosalie said, but Edward heard her whisper to Emmett. "Should I be worried?"

"He actually likes her, so not yet."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, assholes." Edward found the phone and checked his messages, all from Bella. He pulled out his usual cell phone from the console and groaned. "Fuck."

"What is it?"

"Jake knows I'm going to Comic Con."

Emmett started to chuckle, but it grew into great big, belly laughs that seemed to echo down the driveway. "Good luck with that." He pulled Rosalie close, nuzzling her temple—she only smiled.

"What? You're throwing me to the wolves?" The fucking traitors walked hand in hand inside the house, leaving Edward alone.

He had to talk to her. "Hey, Bella," he said as soon as she answered. "I just got your messages, what happened?"

"Jake knew you were here, apparently, and wanted to know why. I told him you were interested in some art pieces, as we agreed we'd say if you were seen at my house. He didn't buy it. Did you know Jake has GPS on your ass?"

No, he didn't. But it would explain the fact that Jake's big ass, red truck was charging up Emmett's driveway. "I do now."

"He's there?" Bella whispered. "I'd run if I were you."

Edward widened his stance, rolled his head a few times to relax and ready himself. "I can take him."

"He figured out that you want to get into my pants." She had explained her life-long friendship with Jake, despite the failed attempt at anything more. He was one of her best friends and he protected her as he would one of his own sisters.

He could see the murderous look in Jake's eyes as his truck neared. "I'm going to die, aren't I?"

"Probably. Send me a text later if you survive."

"Wait," he said, taking a few steps back. Not because he was scared, not at all. "How did he figure out I want to get in your pants?" He'd address the phrase she kept on using later, Jake was already parking. Bella didn't answer though. "Bella?"

"I blushed and giggled like fucking fangirl okay!" Her confession made his day, despite his pending demise. "Oh come on, now you go silent on me, Cullen."

"Bella just in case I don't survive this, I want you to know something."

Jake was exiting his truck.

She seemed to sense he was being serious. "What is it?"

Jake was stomping his way over to him. Edward had mere seconds to tell her. "If your self-portrait is an honest representation of you, then you have the most beautiful set of…"

"Edward? Edward." Bella looked at her phone and saw the dreaded "call ended" phrase on the screen. She tried calling back, but it went straight to voicemail. His incomplete answer would keep him on her mind for hours. She looked at a sketch of Edward as the Winter Soldier, realizing mere curiosity wasn't why he would stay in her thoughts.

He was most certainly the hottest man she'd ever had the pleasure to measure. She certainly hoped she could do some more _measuring_ in the future.

Wednesday suddenly seemed too far away.

* * *

 **AN: We get to meet Jake the Jerk Off, and guess what happens next? Shirtless Edward, lol  
**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

* * *

Edward thought it was best to end the call before finishing, since he was positive Jake would kill him for it. But in his haste he dropped his phone on Emmett's concrete driveway. "Was that her?" Jake asked as Edward picked up the phone and realized the screen was cracked and blacked out, dead.

Edward had a few People Choice Awards, two MTV Movie Awards, two Golden Globes, and four Emmys, so he knew how to act, but Jake was an expert in detecting bullshit.

He needed to think fast. "Was that her who?"

Jake was an inch or two shorter than Edward, but what he lacked in height, he made up for in mass. The man was huge, with dark skin and darker eyes.

Edward had gone toe to toe with some of the most horrible reporters in his career, and after a few years, he had learned how to deter them from a line a questioning that made him uncomfortable.

"Was that Bella on the phone?" Jake crossed his arms over his chest—those guns looked about the size of the anacondas of legend. They were the reason Edward hired Jake personally after being mobbed on too many occasions.

"Bella," Edward said, his brow tightening in confusion. "Do you mean the artist? What was it again—Ms. Swan? The one that makes movie replicas?"

Jake stepped closer, his thick eyebrows meeting between his eyes. "Don't bullshit me, Edward."

He had to switch tactics. "Why didn't you tell me you were gay?" The hurt on his face was not fake; it hurt to know Jake kept it from him.

"I wasn't sure about your reaction," Jake said simply. "Bella hates when I hide it, especially since I'm with her assistant, Seth."

"I've known you for two years, you know everything about me."

"I didn't tell you for a reason. My last job before you, he found out, started to act differently with me. I didn't want things to change between us." He pointed a thick finger at him. "Now quit changing the subject. I know Bella was on the phone and that she warned you."

"Are you going to try and stop me from seeing her?" There was nothing Jake could say to change Edward's mind. Nothing.

"What the fuck are you talking about?"

Was Jake as well versed in mind games as he tried to be? "What are _you_ talking about?"

"I came here to tell you that it's my job to protect you—"

Edward was really fucking confused by this point and interrupted Jake. "You're not here to kill me for trying to get in Bella's pants." Even coming from his mouth, the words sounded wrong; he needed to talk to Bella about it soon.

Jake shook his head, but the death glare in his eyes remained. "If I was trying to do that, Bella would hang me by the balls. She can take care of herself. Trust me on this, Edward."

Why that sneaky little she-devil. Bella had made it sound like Jake was going to kill him. It might still be the case, but it wasn't because he wanted to find out if her lips tasted as sweet as they looked.

"Might as well find out now. Bella holds a grudge, and she's all about payback sometimes." Jake nodded, as if he was giving Edward sage advice. "She's creative as fuck on punishment."

 _Do not picture her with a whip. Do not picture her with a whip._

"If you're not here to kick my ass because of Bella, then why do you look ready to throw me in the back for your truck and dump my body?" Edward realized the real reason a while ago; he just needed to buy some time to come up with a few good excuses.

"Do I have to spell it out for you?" Jake stepped closer. "You're not going to Comic Con. Are you fucking out of your mind? Do I have to remind you of the last time you went off on your own and got mobbed by hundreds of crazy fans. Including one in particular, remember your dear old, James aka DarkMonster."

Edward shuddered, looking around just in case he lurked in the shadows. He honestly loved his fans and was thankful for them, but there were a few in the bunch who gave fans a bad name. The show that made him a household name, _The Dark Files,_ had a near cult like following, reaching millions of fans in the five years it was on the air, and continued to grow as reruns started up again.

DarkMonster had been a loyal fan since day one, visiting the set often and insisting on pictures every time they crossed paths. However, as the years went by, his sudden popping up everywhere Edward went was eerily heading toward stalker level. The one time he managed to sneak past Jake to get away from it all, DarkMonster had been there to take another picture.

"If he finds out you're attending Comic Con, you can bet your ass he'll figure out where you are, no matter what you're wearing."

"He won't find out. Bella is the only one working on the costume, none of her employees know about it. Other than the three of us, Rosalie and Emmett know about it. You know they won't tell anyone. I'll be fine, most of my face is covered and with the wig or extensions no one will know it's me."

"DarkMonster can pick your ass from a line up, Edward. I don't like this."

"I know, but I need to do this."

Jake's eye narrowed. "Because of Bella?"

"She seems to be the best person to take to something like this. Honestly, Jake, I'm tired. I need to do things like this, and this is something I've wanted for years to do for years. If I don't I'll burn out soon."

Jake seemed to understand, his last protection detail had ended up in rehab. "I'm going then, but I'll go in disguise, too."

"No. If my fans find out you're in San Diego, they'll know I'm nearby and send a search party for me."

Jake shook his head. "Edward, you need to stay safe. Think about Bella. If they find you there, she could get hurt."

"Fuck, that's hitting below the belt, asshole. You know I wouldn't want anything to happen to her." He groaned and rubbed his temples; the headache was turning toward full blown migraine. "No one can know you're there."

"Don't worry about a thing, you and Bella won't even know I'm there."

Edward doubted it.

* * *

 **AN: Sorry! I know I said shirtless Edward, but these two got wordy. Also, DarkMonster, Edward's stalkerish fan is a figment of my imagination, really, he is...**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

* * *

Before leaving Emmett's house, Edward decided to let Bella stew a bit for making him believe Jake wanted to kick his ass. Jake had wholeheartedly agreed and said he wouldn't answer her calls for a few hours.

He checked his Bella phone and realized it was a lost cause; thankfully, he had enough forethought to memorize her number. As he waited at a signal light, he entered her number into his personal cell phone.

It wasn't long before he reached his neighborhood, waving with his middle finger at a few recognizable paps across the street from the gate. He couldn't reach his friends Alec or Garrett to help scatter the assholes before heading home. People would now know he owned a silver fucking Volvo. Safe, reliable, boring. He didn't give a shit what they thought about it, but they knew what to look for when he left the house.

He grumbled as he parked in his garage a few minutes later, needing a drink or three. It had been a long day and all he wanted to do was watch a movie and relax. After a quick shower, he put in Captain America, deciding to study the Winter Soldier's habits and the way he moved in the movie. He wanted to fully encapsulate the character for Comic Con.

It had been several hours since he'd left Bella's house, but he wanted to see her again. He could call her and let her know he had a copy of Civil War already, and how they should watch it together, for research purposes. _Research, right._

He paused the movie and grabbed his cell phone, deciding to play with her since she wouldn't know the number he was calling from.

 _Hey, beautiful. I had a real good time this morning. Any chance you'll send me a picture to remind me what I'm missing tonight._

It didn't take her long to reply, but was surprised to find a picture attached instead of a message. "She wouldn't, would she?" He'd only just met her, but she didn't seem the type to send dirty pictures to anyone. He snapped his eyes shut the second the picture opened, nearly hissing at what she sent him. A picture of the biggest dick he'd ever seen, and he used to watch porn in high school.

His phone pinged again in his hand. He deleted the dick pic first before reading her text.

 _Jake is this you? ISTG if you harmed one little hair on Edward's head, I'll cut you off. I'll never cook for you again, and you can forget the cooking lessons. You'll have to settle for TV dinners forever!_

Bella thought his original text was from Jake, making him wonder how many times Jake had changed numbers, just to annoy her. It was the perfect opportunity to get a read on her, figure out what she was really thinking about him. Blushing and fangirling aside, he wanted to know what was going through her beautiful mind.

 _He that important to you?_

The phone rang, but he ignored it. She sent another text immediately after.

 _Really Jake? Really? I'm calling your mother._

Edward laughed out loud, Jake's mother was as scary as her son when the occasion called for it. The one time he met the woman, along with his father, she had swept Jake up in a hug, lifting over two hundred and fifty pounds of solid muscles, and made it look easy. He dialed Bella's number, but said nothing when she answered.

"Jake, I mean it. If you hurt Edward, I don't care if it's your job to protect him, I'll kick your ass." When he said nothing, she continued. "Please, please don't stop him from going. Can't you see it in his eyes? He needs this." She sniffed a little, shocking the hell out of him. "He needs to experience something real."

How had someone he'd known for five minutes seen the desperation in him for something more than the same bullshit every day when people he knew and worked with for years couldn't see it?

 _Because they don't want to. No work means less money for them._

"Yeah, I do need this." _And you._

"Edward!" She started talking too fast to catch everything, but he caught the gist. There was genuine concern about him not being able to go. She wasn't worried about possibly losing a big project or an opportunity to go out with a big Hollywood star.

"He's not stopping me from going to Comic Con or seeing you, Bella." She sighed and he wished he was there to see her body instantly relax, knowing everything was okay. The silence on the other end made him call out to her, and she groaned suddenly. "What's wrong?"

"I sent a dick pic to Edward fucking Cullen, that's what's wrong." How he wanted to see her blush at that moment.

"I'm more concerned by the fact that it took less than five seconds for you to send it to me."

She huffed in what sounded like annoyance. "I get a lot of private messages and DM's with dick pics, so I started a collection so I can do the same to them."

Smart woman.

"And even if I had those pictures for other reasons, nothing is wrong with a woman having some visual inspiration when she takes matters into her own hands."

Did she just admit that she masturbates to dirty pictures? Shock and arousal competed for the top spot in his body, but considering the state of his dick, the latter won.

"Edward?"

He cleared his throat and shifted on his couch. "I'm sorry, Edward is currently rebooting his damn brain. Are you trying to send me on a midnight drive to your house just to see you?"

"What are you wearing?" she asked, a sexy rasp to her voice.

He knew she was joking, or maybe she was testing him. "Bye, Bella."

She laughed. "Fine, I'll pull out my trusty little rabbit." She had to say that, didn't she?

"I'm going now."

"Where to, handsome?" The purr in her voice was gone and he missed it already.

"To take a cold shower."

"Nice visual, Cullen. Don't forget to shave!"

They ended the call with a confirmation for their appointment on Wednesday.

.

.

.

"You know, for the sake of my modesty, you should remove your shirt, too." Edward only smiled as Bella rolled her eyes. She'd been mixing some blue latex polymer for the mold, a mixture she would soon slather over his arm, shoulder, and half his chest.

"You've already seen my tits, Edward," she teased, snickering as she worked.

"A painting is not the same," he groaned playfully, hovering over her shoulder to watch. "Is everything okay with you and Jake?"

She looked at him, confused by his question. "Why wouldn't it be?"

"You basically outed him to his employer." He hadn't realized the implications when he last spoke with Jake or Bella the night before.

"He was going to tell you soon," Bella said, but it wasn't hard to miss how her shoulders curled forward, like a shield. "And Jake has made it clear that if one of my uh, boyfriends got jealous of our close relationship, I could tell them the truth."

"From the look on your face, you've lost a few uh, boyfriends because of your friendship with him."

"They would come over and Jake would be asleep with his head on my lap. Or we'd fall asleep in my bedroom watching movies. Or he was always there, you know?"

"I get the picture."

"The last one, he had major trust issues," she said, pointing at the canvas on the floor for him to stand on so she could get started. They walked over and she positioned him where she needed him. She turned on a couple of studio lights so she could see better. "His ex-girlfriend cheated on him with a friend of her brother's, someone who was always around. It didn't feel right to tell him without Jake's permission, so he broke up with me in the middle a restaurant, creating a huge scene. It was awful."

"What an ass, I'm guessing at that point Jake told you it was okay to tell them if you feel it's right."

"I never felt I had to until…yes."

"Until me?" he asked, stepping closer to her. "Does that mean you trust me?"

"Take off your shirt please," she said instead of answering. She watched as he grabbed the back of his shirt, pulling it overhead and tossing it aside.

"Bella?" It wasn't hard to miss how her eyes lingered on his stomach. He ran and worked out for hours every day, keeping him in the best shape of his life.

"May I?" she asked, gesturing toward his chest. She wanted to touch him, and damn it, he wanted her to as well, before he lost his damn mind. Those kaleidoscopic eyes of hers seemed to brighten at his nod. The muscles along his torso tightened under her fingertips, and he couldn't help the shiver of desire. Fuck, he wanted her.

Bella could hardly believe her eyes; Edward was even more stunning than she imagined. His fans had found countless pictures of his basketball days, but back then, he'd been leaner and his biceps and chest hadn't been very defined. Her fingertip slipped over heated skin, gasping when he caught her hand and pressed her palm against him fully.

"Bella." He visibly shivered, his jade eyes darkening. There was no mistaking the desire in his gaze and she wanted to explore it. "Remember our deal."

She nodded, swallowing deeply. The deal, the one she asked him to adhere to—no mixing pleasure and business, for their protection. A rule she never had a problem following, until now.

"I don't want to lose your trust, and breaking our deal would probably do that, right?"

She shakily turned away from him, needing some space. "Yes, you're right."

"Don't think for one second that I don't want you." The firm tone made her look up at him, to find his hand extended to her. Grabbing the bucket and brush in hand, she placed the other in his.

"All right, Cullen," she said, smiling to entice him to do the same. He did and it took everything in her not to melt at his feet. "Time for me to paint you in latex, you ready?"

He tucked a curl around her ear, being all sweet and swoony as he stared in her eyes. One side of his kissable lips lifted, and with her hand still in his, he leaned down to whisper in her ear. "Latex, sounds kinky." Since he had a hold of her hand, she couldn't poke him. "Relax, beautiful." He released her but held out his arms, then struck a pose, grinning like a loon. "Paint me like one of your nudes, Bella."

Hot, sweet, loyal to his friends, and to add to the list of reasons to make her fall hard for someone, Edward made her laugh and smile often. She didn't stand a chance.

* * *

 **AN: Sorry for the late post, but two of my kids started school today and tomorrow the other two, way too many things to do. Hmm, it looks like ten chapters isn't happening. More like fifteen, the horror?! Now Edward has to convince Bella to watch the CA movies with him for research purposes.  
**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine**

* * *

Edward couldn't help himself and spoke his mind; he did that a lot around Bella. "You smell good."

She quirked an eyebrow, but he wasn't sure if she wanted him to behave or to keep talking. Sometimes reading her was easy, like in that moment, but not all the time. Was it because of who he was?

According to her bio on her art blog, she had lived in the area all her life. She had seen the best and worst of what Hollywood had to offer, and even experienced it firsthand. Being cautious was understandable—he was, after all, one of Hollywood's highest paid actors. Keeping things friendly for a few weeks would undoubtedly be hard, but he was sure he could handle it, to some degree. Their banter was fun and hot, if he was honest with himself, and the tension between seemed to grow every minute.

It wouldn't be easy, but he already felt she'd be worth it.

She turned up the volume on her Bluetooth stereo and dipped the paint stick in the mix, slowly extending her arm out to get started on his shoulder. The heavy beat of the song playing seemed to make his blood thrum, and his skin felt ten times more sensitive. They each held their breath as she slowly drew the tip against his heated skin, stroking downward.

"Fuck," he hissed, trying not to recoil. "I forgot how cold that shit can be." She smiled, her eyes on his obvious reaction, the flat disc of his nipple had hardened under the touch and her gaze.

"Take a few calming breaths," she whispered, still not helping the situation. Her warm breath teased the goosebumps to the surface of his skin, sparking his imagination. He kept his left arm only slightly elevated as she instructed earlier, his eyes, however, remained on her. It hadn't been a line or lie; she really did smell good. Too good, in fact.

He shifted his feet for some relief, but found none. "Uh, you need to stop moving, Cullen. And yeah, there's no hiding that thing anyway."

"Christ," he groaned, looking up at the ceiling to count to a hundred. "Ten fucking years in the business and I never had this problem while working."

She laughed. "That's a nice stroke to my ego."

Fuck, she was using _the voice_ , the one he heard over the phone when she teased him. All sex and heat.

"Don't let it go to your head, Swan." He grunted as she poked him with the paint stick, trying not to let loose a laugh. She was rather close to his ribs, the only ticklish spot he had.

"As opposed to yours." Her laughter was sweet, and not helping him at all. "Relax, Edward. I ain't gonna bite." He didn't trust himself to respond in any way other than shifting again. "What are those DVDs you brought with you?"

She bent down enough for him to catch a glimpse of a sexy bare shoulder, her wide-neck t-shirt draping halfway down her arm. It was obvious that she wasn't wearing a bra. Her milky white skin looked soft and flawless, the sprinkle of caramel freckles along her clavicle only added to the perfection. Fuck, he loved sexy shoulders. He looked away before he did something he wouldn't regret, at least if she let him take them where they both wanted to go.

She had asked a question, hadn't she? "What?"

"The DVDs," she replied, applying more of the mix a few inches above his waistline. Her brow tightened, her eyes on the button of his jeans. "I told you to wear something you wouldn't mind ruining."

"Gucci sends me jeans every few months. Besides, I can afford another pair. Even if you do get that shit on them, I can still wear them around the house." She tried hard not to roll her eyes, but walked over to a chaotic work table and grabbed a small blue towel from a stack of clean ones. She returned, silently asking if it was okay.

He only nodded.

Taking one end of the towel in one hand, she tugged slightly on his jeans to gently tuck the towel inside.

"Oh man," she whispered, her fingers lingering. "I don't know how much more I can handle." She fanned herself after freeing her hand, leaving him with a fucking hard cock and a clear understanding of how desperately he wanted her. It wasn't only the chemistry exploding between them, but a need to know everything about her. "Let's get this done before it hardens…"

"Too late." He had to clear his throat, ignoring how she blushed a little. If he focused on her skin, on how far the blush went, he wouldn't be able to hold back.

"Gah!" she hissed, eyeballing his crotch. It couldn't be helped; she was awfully close to the area. "You're killing me, Smalls." He snorted. "Don't even say it. Trust me, I know. I know it's not small." She continued to grumble, working to paint his side, shoulder and down his arm.

It was a stroke to his ego to know she was flustered as he was when he was around her. And when he wasn't, too.

"I did some research," she said, keeping them on task. Thankfully, one of them had the strength to do what needed to be done. "There were at least two versions of the arm on the set of the first movie. One that was basically two pieces, simple, and allowed for full articulation, then CGI went in afterward to add the details. There was also a full arm piece, but it was only good for scenes when his arm was only on his side, no bending required. We have a choice, if I make you a fully articulated version, I have to make the sleeve you'd wear underneath just as detailed as the arm but no matter what I do, it'll still look like more than one piece. If I make you one without any articulation, your arm will likely go numb after a while, no matter how lightweight I make it."

She tended to ramble when she spoke of her work, but with a passion he found endearing. He hadn't felt the same way about his job in a while. Maybe Emmett was right; he needed to find roles that spoke to him, and not to his and his agent's bank account.

"I guess it all depends on how long we plan to stay there during the day. If we sit down and discuss which panels we want to attend, maybe we can go back to the house to take a break."

"That would only work if we were staying close by. Are we?" Edward shook his head. "Maybe I should keep my room at the Marriott and we can use it for breaks, like you said."

He had a feeling they'd need to take a lot of breaks, especially since they'd be free to explore this chemistry between them. And _if_ word didn't get out he was attending Comic Con as Winter Soldier before he had a chance to experience the event as a fan and not an actor.

What would happen if it did get out? Would he call it all off and not go? Never see Bella again? The idea didn't appeal to him at all, unless _she_ was the one who exposed him. She wouldn't do that, but unintentionally was always a possibility.

"We'll sit down once you shower to discuss the details."

He swallowed hard. "Shower?"

"You'll want to shower after this, I guarantee it. I told you to bring what you needed." She stood up on her toes to make sure she was getting every inch of his shoulder, before moving to his back. "You never did answer about the DVDs, Cullen."

"I brought Winter Soldier and Civil War with me, thought we'd watch to study the Winter Soldier's mannerisms and such."

Civil War was out of the theaters already and wouldn't be available to buy on Blu-ray until early fall. Money talks, so he had a copy in his hands the day after it was released in theaters.

"Are you fucking serious? I get to watch Stucky beat up the playboy?"

"Yes?" Who was Stucky? Wait, did she mean Bucky and Steve? As in, what did the fans call it when they liked certain couples on a show or movie? Ships?

She fucking squealed, giggling and dancing around him. Not that he'd classify what she was doing as dancing; it looked more like a cross between a seizure and flailing. Until she started to roll those beautiful hips. The same ones his hands itched to touch from the moment he saw her standing on her porch. It hardly helped how her shorts, basically denim underwear, clung to her curves.

He made to grab her but she countered his move, slipping away and laughing. "Stay still, Cullen!"

"Can't help it, it's those hips." A sound similar to a growl—something he would deny to his dying day—slipped from his lips.

"Shakira! Shakira!" She bounced over to her phone and put the perfect song on, returning to her work. "Hips don't lie," she sang, smiling up at him. The sun happened to peek through some clouds, filtering through the window and highlighting her eyes.

Three weeks suddenly seemed so damn far away to him.

She stilled as he stared, her smile slipping into something more potent, parting as if in anticipation. The desire he'd seen in her eyes on a few occasions sparked hotter than ever.

"Anyone ever tell you that you're lethal, Cullen?" He gave his award winning smile, watching as her hand playfully fluttered over her chest in a fake swoon. "Shit! I got blue crap on my top." She slipped off her shirt, without a second thought, making him choke out a few curses. "Relax, Cullen, I have a bikini on."

It was blue and strapless. Her breasts appeared to be more than a handful and perfect; he wouldn't mind if her bikini fell off at this point.

"Why am I so lethal?" he asked, for some idiotic reason. As if he needed more reasons to grab her and kiss the smirk off her face. She went back to work, brushing him a little faster, since she only had so much time to work with the latex.

"Your eyes are just mesmerizing, your body is too die for, and don't get me started on your intellect, sense of humor, and your pop culture knowledge. Then, to top off all that off, you have the sexiest set of dimples I've ever seen." She made a kissing sound, instantly making him hard again.

He looked over his shoulder to look at her, her eyes on what she was doing. "I don't have dimples."

One corner of her pretty mouth tipped upward, her eyes meeting his gaze. "I wasn't talking about the ones on your face." Her gaze dipped down to the small of his back, where his jeans hung a little low. The tip of her tongue sliding across the soft pink of her bottom lip, made his head spin.

"Bella," he said firmly, trying to keep the desire from his voice. He'd failed, if her reaction to it was any indication. She gave him a sheepish smile and drew an imaginary halo around her head, but pretended to cock it to one side.

She was no angel.

* * *

 **AN: These two are just not letting me skip time, I want to write everything. Thanks to all your reviews, I appreciate each and every one. I've been trying to reply to them, but my internet keeps timing out. I wanted to say thanks to everyone recommending this fic, to TLS and Iris for including it on the site.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten**

* * *

After a short shower to get the feel of residue off his skin, Edward walked out of Bella's master bathroom and into her bedroom. He scrubbed his hair with one of her towels, his eyes lingering on her bed. The headboard was conversation piece for those not interested in her bed for other reasons. It was mainly made of wood in various varieties and colors, and the long curves and sensual lines appeared to be two people intertwined together. It was meant to draw the eye, and spark one's imagination. It lit his on fire.

"Popcorn is almost ready, Cullen! Get your fine ass out here."

Her voice carried well from down the hall, and with one last look at the bed, he joined her in the living room. "Your shower is fucking amazing." It was a bathroom meant to be photographed for a magazine, something to look forward to after a long day at work. He gave his head one last rub down with a towel, surprised to find Bella scowling, though it wasn't aimed at him.

"What's wrong?"

The snarl on her lips formed to a beautiful smile within a second, turning those magic eyes toward him. "What makes you think there's something wrong?"

He cocked an eyebrow, chuckling. "I don't know. Maybe because I'm shirtless, fresh out of the shower, and you're _not_ ogling me."

Her eyes rolled and a sound part exasperation and part groan fell from her lips. "I can control myself, you know."

He waited for a few seconds, remaining silent. It wasn't long before her eyes drifted from somewhere behind him to his face, quickly roaming his chest, abs and further south. By the time she made the return trip to his eyes, his smile was firmly in place. "You were saying?"

She threw up her hands. "You're right there, how can I not look!" A throw pillow barely missed him and only because he dodged it, she had surprisingly good aim. He grabbed it from the floor with intention to lob it at her. "Don't point your ass at me, Cullen."

Deciding he'd rather serve his justice when she least expected it, he joined her on the couch where she had set up a mini-movie theatre experience on her coffee table. Aside from the movie on her big screen television, something hidden from view most of the time, she had every kind of movie candy a person would see at an actual theater.

"Why were you scowling, Swan?" he asked, throwing the pillow between them, as if it would help keep them from lunging at each other.

"I have a love-hate relationship with that shower." His curiosity was piqued, and saved him from asking for explanation. "Remember how I said I don't mix business with pleasure?"

"It's about the only thing keeping me from kissing you right now, Bella. Of course, I remember."

She stared at his lips for several seconds, not helping him keep his promise. Her bathroom smelled like her, only more potent, and it took considerable strength not to take care of his stiff cock while imagining Bella joining him in the shower.

"Well, um, what was I saying again?" She shook her head, and Edward had a hard time not smiling at her. "Oh, yeah. Uh, my ex, the one I mentioned." At his nod, she continued. "I met him when he came by to give me an estimate for the bathroom. I hired him, and let's just say over the first few days, we got to know each other and we started hooking up. Then the work started to slow down. Then came the excuses, then the anger when I asked him to work on it instead of trying to fuck again."

Edward had perfected his neutral, no comment face over the years, however, hearing Bella talk about her ex, his ability was waning. His right eyebrow ticked, his jaw clenching a little too tight. "Go on."

She looked concerned for a moment, but started up again. "Finally, after six freaking weeks, he comes up with another excuse, his tile saw was broken and it wasn't worth fixing. He was between jobs, so he didn't have the money."

"So you offered to pay for one."

She nodded, shrugging. "He finally finished the job after another four weeks, and things between us were strained. I wouldn't give him any more money until it was done. Then, on the final day, I thoroughly inspected his work, pointed out a few things, and he waved it off as 'I'll take care of it later' and shit like that. I gave him two-thirds of his final pay, and he went off on me and tried to take the tile saw."

Edward groaned. "What an asshole. Just because you bought it for him to use, didn't mean he could keep it."

"Exactly, I'm a fucking artist, I'd find a use for it. I told him he can pick up the rest of his pay when he fixes the problem with the grout. He refused and again, tried to take the tile saw. I had to call the cops, but he left before they showed up. He tried to take me to small claims court, but the contract saved me from having to pay him until the job was completed to my satisfaction. Which he refused to do. In the end, Jake and I had to dig out the shitty grout job and redo it ourselves. The whole bathroom, Edward."

Every inch of her bathroom other than the ceiling was made of tile and granite. Edward didn't blame her one bit for her hesitance on dating while she worked for him. "Your reluctance already made sense to me, considering your experience with the asshole producer. This solidifies it. I understand, Bella."

"Do you? You're a very hot man who can pretty much have anyone with a snap of your fingers."

"You'd be right." There was no sense in lying. He was never good at laying it all out. She was reluctant for good reasons, but he had trouble trusting anyone, especially someone who could benefit from being with him. _This is Bella though,_ he told himself.

Without another word, she started the movie. The throw pillow he had put between them, might as well have been an ice cold river no one dared to cross. He wasn't sure what to say or do at the moment to make her feel better about their situation.

Silence filled the void between them, while the movie was nothing more than background noise. The Winter Soldier had yet to make an appearance when Bella paused it, shifting until she faced him on the couch, pulling the pillow onto her lap. "Edward, I want you to know that this isn't some fantasy, a one-time thing."

He appreciated her words, having experienced a few empty hookups in his early years in Hollywood. Some sought more and their fifteen minutes of fame, others just wanted to be able to say they fucked Edward Cullen. Rather embarrassed by the whole reputation in his early days, he scaled back and only hooked up with women in the industry who weren't looking for anything serious, though it became just as tedious.

His fingers traced the curve of her cheek, smiling at the heat felt there. "From the moment I met you, I realized once would never be enough. It's why I'm still here, to give you the opportunity to work on something you've always wanted to do, and to get to know you."

She looked away toward the screen. "You're right, once wouldn't be enough." Though she couldn't see it, he had to smile. Her shoulders finally relaxed, her eyes shifting to his chest once or twice. "Of course, we're under the assumption that any intimacy between us would be a pleasure."

"We're assuming we'd find pleasure from something as simple as a kiss," he said, attempting to add a tinge of uncertainty to his voice.

She laughed, poking his arm, then allowing her hand to linger there. Her eyes hadn't remained too far from his chest, either. "Your lips do look rather chapped, Cullen." She made a sound of disgust, her cute nose twitching, and she was visibly shuddering. Her gaze dipped down to his mouth, watching as his tongue slid along his bottom lip. "Yeah, I think a kiss would be okay. You know so we can test our assumptions."

She was putting the ball on his court, but he wasn't quite ready to go for the free throw.

"Good to know, now back to the movie, Swan."

She laughed again, then asked him to get the drinks from her kitchen. As he rummaged through her fridge, he heard her say she was going to change. He would miss the yoga pants she threw on earlier, but it was for the best. Other than a kiss, he wouldn't ask for more from her. Not until they both fulfilled the deal they made.

"Hey, Swan. Do you have something against wine?" He found some beer and grapes, grabbing them.

"I'm a beer and burger kind of woman, Cullen."

"My kind of woman," he said to himself, returning to the living room. The moment he saw her, his senses stalled and then fired up so fast he almost dropped everything in his hands. The bikini top and shorts she wore while in her too hot studio had been tantalizing and shredding his control. What she changed into now completely unraveled him. She had let down her hair, the curls just skimming the middle of her back. The off shoulder sweater she put on was blue with large black stripes, and the dark shorts she wore allowed her legs to be displayed in all their glory. The dark contrasting colors nearly made her skin glow, and even though she had more clothes on than earlier, she looked even sexier.

"Edward," Bella whispered, her heart racing. There was no mistaking the desire in his eyes, his gaze lingering on her bare shoulder. She rubbed her thighs together, her feet shifting on the coffee table, catching his attention. Slowly, Edward walked toward her and placed their drinks down. There was no looking away from his dark eyes as he circled the couch, only to come to a stop directly behind her. She looked over her shoulder at him, hoping he could see how much she wanted this. Her lips parted slightly, his name slipping through and rolling off her tongue with ease.

His hand reached for her hair, gathering it up to expose her shoulder and the side of her neck. "Stay real still," he murmured, the heat of his words brushing over her skin. She thought he would tease her with a touch of his lips, but no, Edward went for the kill. His lips opened over her pulse, his tongue tasting her, his teeth scraping over taut, sensitive skin. A strong hand slipped down her arm, the tips of his fingers grazing the side of her of her breast. She bit the inside of her lip to stop from grinding her hips, seeking friction and moaning out loud. The hand in her hair tugged slightly, her gasp barely contained. His lips brushed over her shoulder, up her neck, the tip of his tongue teasing her ear. Between the heated, delicious torture of his mouth and the slight sting of his hand pulling her hair, she was desperate for a taste of him. She said his name, and he didn't make her wait. Their lips met, harder than either of them expected, but Edward softened his touch, lingering and slowly exploring with every slide of his tongue. His lips returned on their earlier trek, testing her control, of which she already had none. As if he sensed how close she was to giving in, his lips slowed, until they were gone.

His hold on her hair loosened, his fingers massaging her scalp for a few seconds as his lips hovered over her ear. "What do you think?"

He expected her to think after frying her brain and every one of her senses. It took three deep breaths for her to meet his eyes. "That all you got, Cullen. Pfft." She grabbed the remote instead of throwing the man over her shoulder and couch to have her wicked way with him. "Hey, where you going?"

He looked over his shoulder, right at her, already half way down the hall. "I'm taking another shower." The fucker winked at her, leaving her a big pile of goo on her couch.

"I'm not going to survive three hours, much less three weeks."

"I heard that, Swan!"

Since she had to have the last word, she called out to him. "The lotion I'm wearing, there's a bottle of it on the counter." His answering groan made her smile, and as Edward showered, she decided to make some additions to her Loki costume, well what she'd wear under it. Sketching on a pad she always had nearby, she figured Edward would love the reveal.

* * *

 **AN: Now, these two need to let me move things along and let's be honest, she needs time to work on the costumes. I want to say there will be a time jump in the next chapter, but since Edward pretty much refuses to allow me control, I can't make promises. We'll be revisiting the shower in the future ;)  
**


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven  
**

* * *

Edward looked at himself in the bathroom mirror, wondering how the hell a cold shower did nothing to alleviate the problem. He could have taken the edge off with a Bella infused fantasy and his hand, but he was afraid it would only make things worse the second he walked out and saw her in the living room. Several hours of sitting beside her to watch movies, her gentle perfume overwhelming his senses—he'd be hard the whole time.

"Hey, are you seriously still jacking off in there, Cullen!" He had taken several minutes, but she obviously had no issue with discussing sex. _Nice._

"If I am?" He knew whatever she said, he'd regret asking, but fuck it, he loved the banter and teasing. The verbal foreplay kept him engaged, interested, even if it came with blue balls.

"I thought this would help." A piece of paper slipped from beneath the door; a drawing of her. His already unruly dick went metal-arm-hard at the sight of a drawn Bella in Loki themed lingerie. It was a cross between Leia's slave princess bikini with dark leather and gold embellishment.

"What the fuck is that?" His voice didn't sound like his own; it was deeper, rougher. Fans proclaimed that his voice was sex, but this was different.

"It's what I plan to wear under my costume." He could imagine the slight smirk on her lips, the innocent flutter of her long lashes, delivered sweetly, the little devil.

She didn't fight fair. The taste of her lips, something like vanilla and brown sugar, still haunted him and was dangerously addictive. Memories of the softness of her skin and hair combined with her sounds when he kissed her, he'd never make it past the door without having his way with her.

When he said nothing for several seconds, she cleared her throat and cursed. "Edward." Her voice was soft, apologetic. "I'm sorry, I probably shouldn't have done that." Even if he couldn't see her, her apology was real. Making her a hundred times more appealing.

The door flung open so fast, Bella barely had time to look up before she was pinned against the adjacent wall. Edward's body nearly engulfed hers despite her height, the tip of his nose skimming the length of her neck. The brush of his lips on her skin ignited every sensitive nerve between her thighs, and everywhere else, for that matter.

And he was wet and nearly naked, with only a towel hung low on his hips. She was pretty sure there was only one thing keeping it up, too.

"Oh my fuck," she whimpered, need making her heart race. "You're not f-fighting fair."

"Funny, I was thinking the same thing about you." His voice teased her senses and made her moan. "Don't me wrong, I love the game we're playing. But I only have so much control."

So he liked her little drawing? She grinned but quickly let it slip away, lifting her eyes to meet his dark green gaze. "Sorry?"

His eyes narrowed, dipping down to her lips. "You sound so damn sincere, Swan." The way he emphasized her last name made her breath hitch and the knot in her stomach to tighten. The man was not only lethal, he had the potential to ruin every man after him. He was also using her last name to keep them from tripping over the line between them, one they agreed not to take for exactly nineteen days. "So are we going to keep doing this? I tease you, you tease me."

She fought another smile. "You're still assuming I found the kiss pleasurable."

His hips flexed, closing the space between their bodies, the pressure of his cock felt so damn good. She wanted to drop all pretenses and deals, more so when he whispered in her ear, "No assuming, _I know_." His teeth scraped against her neck for only a second, but it was enough for her knees to tremble. "Your nipples grew hard the second I started to walk toward you. Your breath, well, you were hardly breathing, Bella. And you couldn't stop rubbing your gorgeous thighs together."

"Acting," she lied.

"No one is that good, baby." His lips lingered over hers, but not touching. "Do you have any idea how badly I want you?" Her eyes dropped down between their bodies of their own volition, and she couldn't help the moan. His towel was slipping. "Yeah, you know exactly how much. Now, please, for the sake of my sanity, get your sexy ass down to the living room before we do something you'd regret." She shook her head, but his hand came down over her mouth to stop her protest. "You won't regret in this moment, maybe even the next, I guarantee you that. But later, you might and I'm not taking that risk with you."

Her eyes were drawn to his body, but she managed to pull them away to look at the bathroom beyond him. She needed the reminder of the consequences of mixing business and pleasure, even though she felt she wouldn't regret a night with Edward Cullen. She looked up at him, uncertainty in his eyes. He told her he got tired of the hookups and the empty, sneaky rendezvous with others in the business. She had to be strong—not just for her, but him, too.

"Are you going to behave now?" From the look in his eyes and the tinge of teasing in his tone, he didn't want her to behave.

She batted her eyelashes playfully, and then licked the palm of his hand. He hissed and grabbed her face with her both hands, but he stopped the second her hand landed on his chest.

"I'll behave for now," she whispered, closing her eyes. If she looked at the length of his body for another second, she'd drop to her knees and suck him in until he was gasping her name.

"Christ, you're killing me," he grunted as if he knew what she was thinking, and she felt the sudden blast of cool air and heard the bathroom door slam closed. Had she said it out loud? Oh fuck. "Please, Bella."

She ran out of her own bedroom.

.

.

.

Edward eyeballed the distance Bella put between her popcorn and his at opposite ends of the coffee table. It would mean he would take one end of the couch and she would take the other. No matter how much he wanted to spend time with her, there was only so much he could handle. He walked over to the light switches, bathing the room in bright lights, earning a playful hiss. The ceiling fan started circulating, and fuck if it didn't make matters worse. The scent of her hair filled his senses once again.

"I don't think this is going to work," he said, sitting down and taking his head in his hands. "Three cold showers and nothing can will this away."

Bella hummed, seemingly at ease, until he saw her nipples were still hard. "One time, Jake pranced around in a red panty and bra set I fucking loved as payback for a prank I pulled back in high school." Instantly, the image burned his retinas and he groaned in horror. "In six-inch blue heels." He snorted because it worked, holding his hand up and she quickly high-fived it.

With two sentences, she helped get him under control. She wasn't going to take advantage of his desire for her. Instead, she was taking him as seriously, as he was trying to do for her. Chemistry was something he dealt with before, but never this strong. Whatever was between them had the potential for something real, and he wanted it more than he could ever explain.

"Okay, I'm going to warn you right now," Bella started, picking up the remote and queuing up the movie. "I cry every single time I watch these movies."

"How many times did you watch Civil War at the theatre?"

She arched an eyebrow, closing the other eye as she tapped her chin with a fingertip. Fucking hell, she wasn't only beautiful, she was cute. Adorable, even— he had it bad.

"Seven times, but only because I got tired of buying tissues." She pouted then shrugged, and then her brow tightened. "I'm guessing that's not something you can do often. Going to the movies, I mean. Or anything really."

"I haven't been to a movie, except for my own premieres, in seven years."

"That's kind of sad," she whispered. "But understandable. I'm at your service if you want to give it a go sometime."

"Your service," he teased, grabbing his popcorn.

She threw a few kernels at him. "Get your head out of the gutter." He chuckled. "I meant if you ever wanted to go out without really being seen, let me know."

"You'd do that for me?" She must've heard the vulnerability in his voice; he sure as hell did.

"Of course, I would. I'm not in this for my fifteen minutes, I told you that. If after…"

"There's no if," he said with a little more conviction than intended. But he meant it.

"Okay," she said slowly, as if realizing he was being honest. "After Comic Con, we can go on a date. With a few changes to your clothes, hair, maybe some makeup we go do just about anything."

"What would you have in mind?"

"Skydiving."

Who was this woman and why was he only just meeting her? His friends were assholes for not introducing them sooner.

"That's something I've always wanted to do." She smiled and told him it was amazingly exhilarating. She'd gone twice and was becoming addicted to the feeling.

"Let's do it." He smiled at her. "It's a date, Swan."

* * *

 **AN: These two, seriously, I'm having so much fun with them. I'll try to update this coming week, but going on a mini vacation with the family next weekend. Have a thousand things to do! Thanks for all the recs and reviews, I love each and every one of them. Thanks to kyla713 for helping me wrangle my commas. I'm hoping the birthday girl is still loving this :)  
**


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter Twelve  
**

* * *

"Yeah?" she asked, biting her lip and waiting for his answer. The idea of skydiving sounded amazing, but sharing the experience with Bella would be exhilarating.

The well of excitement lasted for several seconds, before reality came crashing down on Edward. "I really doubt I can get away with it, though. Besides my agent and publicist would have my head for it."

"I know a guy." Of course she did, but would this friend of hers keep it to himself?

"I'll think about it."

"Okay, let's get this research started." She happily started the movie, stretching out her legs on the couch between them. He gently grabbed her feet and pulled them onto his lap, rubbing her calves as the movie started. It was going to be a long night, but he wouldn't want to be anywhere else.

"Oh and Cullen?"

"Yes?"

"You know after today, we shouldn't be anywhere near each other, at least until you have to come in for a fitting."

He was afraid she'd realize their attraction was too strong. "I don't want to agree."

"Then don't."

He watched her watch the screen, her eyes growing bright under his attention. "We'll be okay."

"Yeah, now shush. My Cap is on the screen." She whispered under her breath, _"On your left."_

He rolled his eyes. "Chris isn't that nice of a guy, you know."

She smiled, still staring at the screen. "He's fantastic, don't try to kill a part of my Chris Crush."

"Chris Crush?"

She sighed over dramatically and paused the movie. "Chris Hemsworth, Chris Evans, Chris Pratt, Chris Pine, but not in a particular order."

"I'm sort of insulted. You said you weren't a fan of mine when we first met, but you loved the show. Now I'm hearing you have crushes on Chris, but not me."

She threw her hands up in the air. "You played a villain!" He stared at her, waiting, because he knew there was more. "You weren't my favorite character, that was Damon or Alyssa. But you were the character I loved to hate. Why? Why do they insist in making some of the hottest fucking characters and actors the bad guys? Why?"

"Is that why you had a surprisingly long list of villains for me to dress as?" It was his turn to appear innocent in order to gather information. Whatever it took to be one step ahead of her.

Bella Swan, upfront and blatantly honest, blushed. She grabbed a nearby throw pillow and chucked it at him as he laughed. Minutes later, she finally forgave him for his teasing and they started the movie again.

It wasn't long before Edward caught the way her hands clenched in anticipation at a certain scene, as Steve Rogers barreled through walls to reach Nick Fury's shooter. Being the asshole he was, he grabbed the remote as the Winter Soldier rolled across the roof and he paused the movie before he had a chance to catch the shield.

Bella screamed like a fucking banshee—it was the funniest shit ever. She turned her fiery gaze on him and pounced, trying to reach the remote he held too far over his head. His free arm wrapped tightly around her, keeping her from going too far up. She straddled his thighs, and started to rub up against him as she continued her fight to win remote privileges.

"Cullen," she hissed and slid the tips of her fingernails over his abdomen. He stopped, embarrassingly out of breath, and groaned when he realized her breast was hovering over his mouth.

What made him think it was a good idea to stop the movie? He had encountered plenty of rabid fans and it was clear to him that with Bella, you don't mess with her watching the Winter Soldier. His only excuse was that he wanted her closer; plus, he liked getting her riled up.

She giggled and stretched higher, pressing her hips right up against his. Her breath caught as she realized what she had done, but her fingers wrapped around the remote. They remained absolutely still and then she fell off the couch and onto the floor where she stayed. He asked if she was okay, to which she cursed him for a solid five seconds.

He couldn't help but watch as she closed her eyes, trying to gather herself. "If you ever touch my remote again, especially during a Bucky scene, you may just come to regret it." He had no doubt about her love of all things Marvel now.

"Hey, Swan." Her eyes popped open, his fingers skimming her cheek softly, pretending to wipe away something from the corner of her mouth. "You got a little drool right there." She slapped his hand away and then decided to give a taste of payback. She sat in front of him once she restarted the movie, snuggling her back against his chest, and wrapping his arms around her stomach as she fed him popcorn.

If that was payback, he couldn't wait until she dished out some karma. "Hey, Cullen."

"Yes?"

"Sebastian Stan has a nicer ass than you." She laughed as he tickled her, refusing to take it back. "Where is the lie, though?"

"I concede," he grunted, then asked for her to play back a scene. "Let's see if I can get his moves right, give me a hand." She paused the movie after she replayed the scene, watching him mimic his stance in the same way the Winter Soldier did as he attacked Fury's vehicle. "He walks with his arms out a bit," he said, adjusting accordingly. "And sort of walks like he has a stick up his ass."

Bella didn't stop laughing after he said that, so he made them a couple of sandwiches and watched the rest of the movie with minimal tears, thankfully. Tears in her beautiful eyes would be his undoing. Twice, she replayed a scene so that he could get the expressions right.

By the time Civil War finished, Bella was emotionally exhausted. He had to find a way to put a smile back on her face. "Hey, Swan," he whispered, kissing her forehead as she wiped a few tears away.

She swallowed gently and gave him a watery smile. "Yes?"

"I meant to tell you on the phone the day, you know when I thought Jake was going to kill me. Do you remember?"

" _If your self-portrait is an honest representation of you, then you have the most beautiful set of…"_

Her smile widened, nodding, smiling knowingly. He loved the teasing, he couldn't get enough of it. Despite his blue balls.

"You have the most beautiful set of…" His eyes deliberately dropped lower. "Shoulders."

Instead of dropping him on his ass, or even slapping his arm for not going for the obvious, she snorted. And then to drive him absolutely crazy, she dropped one arm just enough for her top to fall, exposing a sexy shoulder.

"Cullen, you have the most beautiful _cock_ I ever had the pleasure of seeing."

And she called him diabolical. He nearly choked on his words, jumped off the couch and stood back. "I'm going home."

She smiled widely. "I need you for a fitting next week, let's say Wednesday."

"A fitting?" Shit, how the fuck was he going to survive that? And next Wednesday? He wouldn't see her for almost a week.

"Is there a problem?"

He shook his head, grabbing his keys. She followed him and pulled on the back of his shirt, forcing him to stop. Blowing out a breath, he turned and captured her arms. "Wednesday is too far away," he finally admitted.

"You hired me to make you a costume and that requires time," she said softly, trying to smile. "It does seem far away, but we're barely holding on, Edward." She looked away. "I'll understand if you have to…I mean I know you're not mine or anything." Groaning, she tried again. "If you have to go out and meet up with a hookup, I'm not going to hate you for it."

Yes, she would and he would hate himself, too.

"Bella, I haven't been with anyone in months. I have no intention of fucking someone with you on my mind. That wouldn't be fair to her, you, and me."

"This is so hard."

"How about dinner at my place tomorrow?"

She wanted to say yes, he could read it in her eyes. "Just dinner?"

"I want to show you something."

She nodded, but her lips dropped into a frown. "I really do need to work on the costumes, but I wouldn't mind a text or two, maybe a call whenever you can."

"Will you behave if I do?"

"No."

"Good, you continue being you. Don't hold back because of all this."

She nodded, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing his cheek. "I'll see you tomorrow, Cullen."

He held her close, dropping his forehead on her shoulder and sighing deeply. If this was what it felt like to fall for someone, he'd been doing it wrong for years on the screen. Nothing had ever felt so real, honest, and perfect. How does one capture a moment like this?

"Until tomorrow, Swan."

* * *

 **AN: At least Edward is aware not to mess with Bella and her remote now. So Bella's heading to his place for dinner, that should go well. I'm heading to Arizona to visit my bestie Kyla713 all week, we plan to watch Winter Soldier and Civil War, which always makes me itch to work on this. As for my other fics, I know some of you are curious, I swear I'm working on them, but slowly. Thanks for being patient, love you all! xoxox**


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter Thirteen  
**

* * *

"So let me get this straight," Jake said, handing Edward the keys to a truck. It was a routine that, if one of Edward's buddies were unavailable to help extract him from a location, Jake would meet up with him with a vehicle that paps wouldn't recognize as one of his own. How he managed to get so many different cars or trucks at a moment's notice, Edward wasn't sure. Jake never had him use the same vehicle twice. "You have sexual chemistry leaking out of your fucking pores with Bella, but you're not going to try to get into her pants until after the first day at Comic Con?"

"That's the plan," Edward said gruffly, playing with the keyring. Leaning against the truck, he looked over at his personal bodyguard and now friend with a cautious smile. "Are you sure you're comfortable talking about my relationship with Bella?"

Jake's eyebrows shot up. "Relationship? I never thought I'd hear that word coming out of your mouth. This _is_ serious." From the tone and easy smile, Edward knew Jake was teasing him.

Edward shrugged, wanting to play it off. However, like his closest friends and family members, Jake could tell when he was putting up an act. Bella was already one of the few people who realized when he was playing a role. It was sort of scary, since he probably would never get away with lying to her. Not that he had plans to, since something honest and real was what he wanted with her. He had too much respect for her and whatever was going on between them to ruin it with lies before it had the chance to be something truly remarkable and special.

Jake's smile grew. "I know things about Bella that I probably shouldn't. She gets grumpy if she hasn't had anything to eat, but yet tends to forget to feed herself if she's in one of her _zones._ I know about her first time, and the last time she was with a guy, both assholes I'd love to punch if I had the chance. I know in ten days, shark week begins, so I'd stay clear from her unless you bring her chocolate. A Mocha Frappuccino is her favorite."

Edward made a face—not disgusted, but more like 'what the fuck?' He hadn't realized they were _that_ close. Still, it was nice to know Bella had someone to talk to, a true friend. He only had a handful of those and he wouldn't trade them for anything.

"Shark week?" Edward repeated, but shook his head when Jake tried to explain. As if he didn't know what it meant; he had a sister, he knew what she was like growing up.

"Shit, she's going to kill me," Jake groaned, realizing what he said was a bit on the TMI side. "You didn't hear it from me, because she'd hang me by the balls."

"Whatever you say, man." Edward opened truck's door and slipped inside. "I like her, Jake. I don't know what it is about Bella, but I want to know everything about her. I love how she's so dedicated to her work that she wouldn't let some big shot asshole like me to stand in the way of it."

"There's more to it."

Edward looked away, his eyes narrowing on a bush he swore was shaking a moment before. Had someone recognized him and was hiding? Thankfully, he had the forethought to exchange vehicles with Jake a few blocks away from Bella's house. He wanted to keep her to himself for as long as possible. In addition to that was the fact that he wouldn't be able to attend Comic Con if she was seen with him. Fans and media would know she created costumes and other movie replicas and could put two-and-two together.

"She knows I need something real and not just some meaningless fling. I have no problem with holding off, but anyone else would've succumbed by now." Jake rolled his eyes, but nodded, having seen the way fans threw themselves at him. "It's not only that. It's the fact that she has more respect for herself and _me_ to not give in to her own desire until it's the right time."

"She can take care of herself, but I will say this…

Slightly amused, Edward nodded, already knowing what Jake would say. "You'll kick my ass if I hurt her?"

"Something like that," Jake said, tapping the top of the truck and walking toward Garrett's car that Edward borrowed to get to Bella's house earlier. "See you later." Jake would come by the house in the middle of the night or early morning to pick up the truck.

Edward waved as he passed Jake, taking a quick look behind the bush he'd seen shake earlier. Thankfully, only a dog appeared to be sniffing at something on the ground near it. Whistling, he headed home, constantly checking his mirrors, in case someone was following him. It wasn't until he drove into his garage that he realized he had made a mistake with his dinner invitation.

How the hell was Bella supposed to come over for dinner at his place, considering his empty fridge and a cobweb-filled pantry? There was also the fact that one of the asshole paps could check on who she was if she wasn't one of the recognizable homeowners in the community. He had to call her and make arrangements of some kind. He hated how much trouble it was for her to see him, but he hoped she thought he was worth it.

She certainly was to him.

.

.

.

Edward was losing his fucking mind the next day. Bella had sent him a text warning him she'd be unavailable for most of the day, going as far as turning off all distractions to work. She hadn't answered his calls or texts after a set of pictures were released a few hours later on a tabloid website. Had she seen them? The photos of him and his former co-star were over six months old, and set up by her and the studio after he made it clear he wouldn't participate in a fauxmance to promote the film, something he hadn't done since his early years in the business.

"Jake." He raked his fingers through his hair, trying not to stress the fuck out. "She's not fucking answering. What if she saw the pictures and thinks the worst?"

It wouldn't be the first time; his mother and baby sister used to be notorious for taking tabloids at face value. No matter how much he assured them that, most of the time, tabloids were way off.

"She's a smart woman," Jake said, and Edward could hear him typing furiously, no doubt looking for the stupid photos online. "It looks like you're just meeting her out for coffee or something."

"But the one of us hugging doesn't look so innocent." Edward loathed Victoria Bailey, but she was an amazing actress and had played her role perfectly; too bad her personality had killed any chance of an attraction from the moment they met. Something Vic refused to understand. She had "bumped" into him at his usual go-to coffee shop months earlier and acted like they hadn't seen each other in years. Lunging to hug him when the first pap had popped out of hiding. "She grabbed my fucking ass, Jake. Bella is going to see it and think I can't even hold out for three fucking weeks!"

And after she suggested she'd understand if he had to take care of his needs, and his admission that he would never consider it.

"She's not answering my call, either." Jake groaned. "I don't know what to tell you. Wish I could go see her, but DarkMonster followed me earlier and is sitting outside of my house."

"What?" The last thing Edward needed was the over friendly fan to figure out who he was going to see in Bella's area. James, aka DarkMonster, ran several fan accounts and websites who had the uncanny ability to find him and wore the same creepy smile in every picture they had together. He put the CIA to shame with how fast he figured out where Edward was going, the reason, and with whom. "Since when did he follow you?"

"You have nothing to worry about," Jake assured him. "He was at the deli we used to go to all the time when you have meetings in the area. He was probably hoping to find you there while you're on a break. But all he got was me."

Edward cursed. "Sorry about all the trouble, but what am I supposed to do now?" Bella was supposed to come by at six and it was rapidly reaching the time.

"If she doesn't show up, let me know and I'll go check on her. I can ditch DarkMonster at night."

After ending the call, Edward couldn't help but worry about what Bella would think about the pictures and the paps. If she was truly angry with him because of old photos, what would it mean for the future? He busied himself with straightening up and cooking, constantly watching the clock and driving himself crazy.

Berating himself for looking at the time every few minutes, he focused on what he was doing. It wasn't long before he heard the buzz from the main gate. He glanced at the time and realized it was probably Bella. He hoped it was, but wasn't sure what to expect when he saw her. He spoke with security to allow _Izzy Crane_ to drive up.

His doorbell chimed a few minutes later, after taking a deep breath, he answered the door. His jaw fell to his chest in complete shock and arousal. Bella was dressed in head-to-toe show stopping red, including a fiery wig with curls that fell to the middle of her back. The dress showed off curves and lightly muscled biceps, a black cardigan hanging over an arm. His tongue was stuck to the roof his mouth the second his gaze landed on the tantalizing length of her legs.

"Hello, Cullen." The smile she wore wasn't one of anger or even disappointment; she appeared to be happy to see him.

"Oh thank God," he whispered, pulling her inside quickly and wrapping one hand along the back of her head. The second the door closed behind her, he pushed her gently against it, brushing his lips along her cheek. She was there with him, happy to see him, and smelling like sin and looking so fucking good in a dress, he had a hard time stepping away from her.

"Someone is happy to see me," she murmured, her hips pressing closer to his hardened cock. He couldn't help it; she felt so damn good against him.

"He's not the only one," he said, going in for the kill. Their lips met tentatively, nothing more than a gentle brush of lips, a getting to know you kiss. Until she pulled him closer, her lips parting under his, allowing his tongue to explore and to taste. Only then did he pull away, desperation making him crave more. "Did you see the pictures?"

He wanted honesty, so he wouldn't keep anything from her. She pulled away to look up at him and he watched as she rolled her eyes. "Is that what this greeting is about?" All he could do was nod. "The pictures claimed to have been taken yesterday morning. If I remember correctly, at the time, I had you wrapped around me." There was a touch of pride in her tone. "I mean, we were watching movies, and you know, getting to know each other."

"You didn't think for one moment I had gone to see her after I left you yesterday?" He had to know if she could handle the bullshit that came with being with him.

"Not for one second," she said, shrugging. "First, you weren't wearing the same clothes, and second, your scuff and hair is longer than in those photos. Also, I know Vicky, and let me just say, she has no fucking qualms in doing whatever it takes to get more publicity and money. I wouldn't be surprised if she was the one that had them release the photos."

"The DVD release is next week for our film, so if not her, it's the damn studio. Another possibility was the fact that I haven't been seen often since I started my break." He kissed her once more, happy to have her there with him. "Thank you for not jumping to conclusions and your willingness to look at the whole picture without instantly thinking the worst."

"I know what it means to be with someone like you." She wrapped her arms around his waist, settling her head on his shoulder. "I'll always talk to you first when something like this happens in the future."

She knew it wasn't an "if" but a "when". He held her close for a few minutes, feeling content for the first time in years.

"Let me give you a very short tour, since dinner will be ready soon." Taking her hand, he showed her his home, his sanctuary, loving the ooos and ahhs as she took it all in, from the hand carved mantels to the vintage door knobs. He led her to his bathroom so she could remove the wig, after expressing that he loved her real hair much more.

She joined him in the kitchen a few minutes later, and helped put a salad together as he removed the baked potatoes from the oven and unveiling a pair of thick steaks on the stove.

"Oh no," Bella gasped, holding up a hand over her mouth. "I should've told you I don't eat meat."

He froze. "You're kidding?" Then he noticed her shoulders shaking slightly, and increasing as a giggle slipped through her fingers.

"You should see your face." She laughed out loud, unable to hold it in any longer.

"You little devil." He placed the pan on the stove and chased after her, capturing her in the living room and throwing her over his shoulder.

"You really shouldn't have said that," he said, his voice deep and a tad on the rough side. One of his hands ran down her bare thigh as he walked toward the kitchen. He kept it there, but the desire to explore more was powerful. "Just for that, I'm not going to show you what I had planned to."

Meaning, she'd have to come see him again, so it worked in his favor.

"Aww, come on! I was only joking."

"Nope," he insisted, pulling out a chair from the kitchen table. Before he put her down, he felt her hand settle on his ass, surprising him. The touch was light enough to make him wonder if it was real. He swore he heard her say something that sounded like his ass was hers. "What was that?"

"Uh, nothing," she said sweetly, refusing to tell him despite his threat to keep her hanging.

He settled her on the chair, loving how bright her eyes were when she looked up at him, her grin equally beautiful. There was no helping the need to kiss her again, tasting the wine she sipped on while helping him with dinner. "Your ass," he whispered, earning a playful push and an even bigger smile.

* * *

 **AN: Thanks to everyone wishing me a good time on vacation, I had a great time camping and then a week with Kyla713 was perfect. I wrote this while I was visiting, while I played with her Bucky and Edward POPS, you can see that on my Twitter account, lol. Next we'll find it's time for a fitting ;)**

 **I'm almost done with a chapter of The Haunting of Bella Swan and finally hit a roll on Punch Me, so yay. I'll be posting this on TWCS when I can find time to make a banner for it. Hopefully soon. Thanks xoxo**


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter Fourteen  
**

* * *

Dinner with Edward was a success. The man was already a double-threat, so checking off "good cook" was just not fair. Bella had spent most of their meal reining in the desire to climb over the table and kiss him. He had been charming, handsome, and she often found herself laughing along with him.

After dinner, he asked for her opinion on a mural he was envisioned in one of the spare bedrooms. "I will _not_ be asking you to work on it," he said, staring at the blank canvas of the boring white wall. It made her hands itch to cover it with color.

Bella stilled, though not surprised. "Wow, thanks."

"Shit, that sounded rude," he groaned, apologizing. "I just meant…" He stuffed his hands into his pockets, his gaze on his feet. As if he found the words, he faced her again. "Look, you know I want you, so fucking much, and if I _hire_ you to work on something else, and the same rules apply…fuck, Bella, I won't survive."

She laughed, bumping his shoulder with hers, loving his honesty. "Trust me, I get it. Tell me what you have in mind, and maybe after Comic Con, I can work on it…as a friend."

"Friend?" he snorted, shaking his head.

"Friend with benefits," she tried, but smiled when he continued to say no. "Glad we're still on the same page, Cullen. And you know I want you, too. If you didn't notice through dinner, I was trying not to take a bite out of you."

He grinned so wide, she had to smile back. "You're welcome to anytime, Swan."

She pointed at the wall and asked about his ideas. It wasn't long before she had a vision of what he wanted and told him it would take at least a few months, if she worked only weekends. "If you need it sooner, I can probably get a crew to do it, but then you'd have to pay them."

"Having you here all weekend or a few of your employees, hmmm." He looked serious as he tried to make a choice. "If I choose you, can you work on it in all your naked glory?"

Her lips slipped into an inviting smile, and Edward looked momentarily wary. "Haven't I told you? I do my best work naked."

He yanked her body against his, but instead of going for a kiss, he only hugged her. "Now that you sent my imagination into overload, let me you show you what I promised I would the other day. Keep in mind, not many people have entered the room I'm about to show you. In fact, other than a few friends and family, no one else has."

He held her hand as he led the way to a door down the hall, up a narrow staircase, and into the cool attic. Nothing would've prepared her fangirling heart for what he kept in that room.

"Oh my God!" Bella screamed, causing Edward to chuckle and playfully cover his ears. She bounced up and down beside him, her eyes darting from surface to surface. "Your Oscars! Your Emmys." Her hand settled on her chest, nearly swaying. "I can't breathe."

Edward immediately panicked, grabbing a hold of her face and making her look at him. "Breathe, baby." She nodded, but her knees were shaking, her lip caught between her teeth. "Bella, breathe, I know you're excited, but you're freaking me out."

She pouted, holding up a finger. "You're too close, if you don't step back, I'm going to tackle you."

"Uh…"

Edward was stunned, aroused, and was afraid to move. If he did, he'd probably kiss her. He watched as Bella closed her eyes, and took a few deep breaths and stepped back.

"I'm so sorry for my fangirl freak out, but you have pieces I've dreamed of owning." She left him in the middle of the "trophy room" his family insisted he needed, to inspect one of the prop weapons from the show that launched his career. "And then with you so nervous to show me, and how good you smell, I kind of lost it." She blushed, but smiled shyly at him. "But only a little." Holding up index and thumb an inch apart, scowling at herself.

"Believe it or not, that was sort of tame in comparison." He shuddered, remembering the first time he met DarkMonster and a few obsessed fans while filming in Vancouver years earlier. "But because it's you, I can't stand the idea of you passing out on me."

She held a hand to her chest and recited, "I solemnly swear I won't faint on you." Holding out her hand, she whispered, "I'm sorry."

He laughed and joined her, waving away her apology. As they looked around the room, she asked questions and listened to him thoughtfully, not quoting the wrong information often printed in interviews like other fans usually did.

An hour later, in the foyer, Edward helped Bella into her cardigan, the red wig once again affixed on her head. "Thank you for dinner," she murmured, her hands on his chest, his own resting on her hips. "Next time, I'll cook for you."

His hand slid from her hip to the small of her back, pulling her that much closer. The catch in her breath made him smile. "I'd like that, Swan."

"Cullen, you cook a damn good meal, but I'm better."

He hummed, bending slightly to brush lips along her brow. "That sounds like a challenge."

Her smile was confident, her tone taunting. "One I'd gladly accept."

"And if I'm the better cook?"

She tapped her chin as if she needed to think about it, then jumped to the tips of her toes to whisper in his ear. "I'll give you a preview of my Loki inspired lingerie." His hands tightened against her, his groan rumbling deep within him. "Live and in person."

"Fuck me."

"Goodnight, Cullen." She was gone with one last sizzling look over her shoulder as she blew him a kiss.

.

.

.

Due to unforeseen circumstances, Jake and Edward's friends hadn't been able to help him escape the assholes sitting outside the gates of his community for the past week. He spoke with Bella whenever possible, even had a few video calls, but it wasn't the same and they were hating every minute of it. Since the pictures with his former co-star and Vicky's non-answer about their relationship status, the paps had been like vultures, circling and looking for other dead stories to rehash.

Thankfully, when Bella had visited for the dinner, she had dressed as one of the neighbors, so the paps hadn't even paid attention to her at the time. Bella had spent the time apart working hard on their costumes, often showing him progress in a private Snapchat account she helped him set up. She was also keeping him entertained whenever possible with drawings of them in various adventures and dressed in their costumes.

The problem was, the drawings were getting dirtier, admittedly he encouraged her to send them. The latest one was her best and more realistic interpretation of them. He was depicted as usual as the Winter Soldier, his back on display, one hand on the bathroom tile as water cascaded over his naked body, well, the top half of it. His moles and dimples were drawn in perfect detail, so there was no mistaking it was him. She drew his head slightly turned, his profile clear as he stared at the partially shadowed figure joining him in the shower, a naked one.

Along with the lifelike drawing was her message. _About to step in the shower, wish you were here._

Fuck, he had to find a way to see her. He sent her a quick message: _If I was there, steam wouldn't be the only thing fogging up the glass._ Happy to put that image in her head, he called Jake. "I need to see Bella now please."

"She's already begged for me to find a way, plus she needs you for a fitting," Jake stated, covering the phone and whispering to someone else. "Look, I just got off work but I got a bit of a drive, I'll have someone pick you up, be ready."

"Do I need a disguise?"

"Not if you don't mind hiding in the back of a car."

He usually hated doing that shit, but he was desperate. "At this point, I'll fucking get in a trunk if I have to."

"Good to know," Jake teased, laughing. "Okay, do you want to let Bella know you're heading over there?"

Did he? "No, let me surprise her."

"Talk to you later."

Edward decided he needed a quick shower, but checked his messages, not surprised to see that Bella had sent him a Snapchat. Clicking on it, his jaw instantly dropped. It was a picture of her glass shower door, fogged up from the heat, her hand on it with her fingers spread out. Just out of focus was what appeared to be her inner thighs and her other hand between them.

How could he respond to that other than akdfjlykdsjfolaksdjf? He knew what he needed to do, and that was to relieve the tension, but he had to say something first. She usually had the last word and he wasn't about to let her do it again.

Something bothered him, though; how the fuck did she take the picture? Or was it who? His mind—or his heart, in this case—reminded him of all the camera equipment she had in her studio and home. She had the capability to set it up, and like her, he wasn't going to jump to conclusions. He knew better than to send her something so provocative—stupid iCloud—but he also didn't have a fancy set up like she did.

Smiling, he figured out what to do and stepped into his shower a few minutes later, thankful for a waterproof phone. Placing his hand on the tile like in her drawing, he took a several photos, trying to get his hand, the tile floor, as water swirled down the drain. The angle wasn't working, so he propped up his phone on the highest shelf behind him, set up to take more photos in ten seconds.

Without preamble, her recent photo in mind, he wrapped his hand around his cock. His free hand smacked against the tile, leaving it there, his knees nearly shaking. "Fuck," he groaned, moving his palm more roughly over himself. His eyes rolled back, her name on his lips.

His imagination took the scene in Bella's picture further. He was watching her, daring her to touch herself silently with a look. She gestured for him to do the same, moaning as they watched each other. He wouldn't stay away for long and join her in the shower, taking her hand to his lips, tasting her on his tongue. He groaned as if he could really taste her, his fist moving faster, harder as he imagined her wet from head to toe, his mouth on one of her tempting nipples, her hand on his dick.

"Fuck yeah." It wasn't long before he was consumed by the fantasy, coming with a loud groan after several minutes. Momentarily sated, he realized that the real thing would be a thousand times better. After washing up, he checked his photos, picked the best one to crop to not show his ass or face, but included the dimples that Bella claimed to love. He wasn't about to use the photo in Snapchat, just in case someone found out he had one. So he texted her the picture with the message: _You're on my mind._

* * *

 **AN: This Edward doesn't do social media. He doesn't know that technically who Snaptchat works. Neither do I for that matter, lol. Also, Bella and Edward set up NEW accounts just for them, so no one else will see the pic Bella sent him, I hope. Can someone get these two to listen to me? The fitting was supposed to be in this chapter, but noooo, Edward had to get off. lol  
**


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter Fifteen  
**

* * *

Bella sat stunned in the middle of her master bedroom, staring at her phone. Her sketch of Edward's nicely muscled arms and back paled in comparison to the high-quality photo. Many wouldn't know it was him from first glance. Fans would know what he looked like shirtless, and that he had seven moles starting from the middle of his broad shoulders, continuing halfway down to his lower back to form a familiar constellation. Some of his hard-core fans were known to study all footage available to the public, frame-by-frame to make such discoveries.

Edward had never shown his entire naked ass on screen, only a side view. The picture he sent cut off an inch or so under his back dimples where his ass started to curve. The man had a small cluster of freckles on the top of his right cheek, almost shaped like a heart or strawberry. She couldn't help but giggle, trying not to sigh at the sight.

"You have it bad," she whispered to herself, her fingers fluttering over her chest. The moment she set her eyes on the photo, she'd gone back in her shower to take care of the sudden ache she had between her thighs. The man had the ability to elicit such a reaction from miles away, with a simple text and semi-NSFW photo. She shared racier images with her followers, but still, his had the ability to send such glorious heat through her blood.

It had been over forty-five minutes since she'd last heard from him, and she had yet to respond to his picture. What could she say? _Come over and have your wicked way with me, please_. The idea had merit, but she quickly shook away the thought. She had to be stronger, but fuck, it was hard. Literally.

She wasn't a saint, as some of her damn family loved to complain about every time she was near them. Less than a handful of serious relationships, and at least twice as many lovers, but she wouldn't call herself promiscuous. She didn't need sex all the freaking time, and she had gone longer than a few months without it—way longer. Was that the reason she was willing to throw away the promises she made herself? Had it been too long?

She looked back at the picture Edward sent her. No, it was Edward and the amazing chemistry they had; the kind of volatile mixture ready to explode at a moment's notice. When it finally was the right time, she'd have to have the fire department on standby, just in case. Still, she had to do something before they both lost their minds.

Her wayward thoughts were not helping. She needed to find a way to see Edward; she had to insist on the fitting. She also needed to talk to him about another costume in case someone figured out that he was under the Winter Soldier one after the first day. She was determined to not let it slip that she was working on something for him to anyone; not her employees, best friends, or family. Other than Jake, Rosalie, and Emmett, no one else knew.

She dressed as quickly as possible, firing off a text while she slipped her hair into a messy updo, several tendrils escaping her fingers. As she started to hop around one foot, slipping into a pair of her cute wedges, her phone started to play The Winter Soldier's entrance score _._ She ran over to the phone, but played it cool for a few moments, so not to seem like she was waiting for his response.

"Oh, who gives a fuck," she said, answering breathlessly with his name.

"Hmm, the way you just said my name might be my favorite."

"You want to go there, Cullen," she whispered, her voice slightly breathier. "Trust me, you'll love all the other ways I'll say your name much more." Her eyes closed at the sound of him cursing roughly, her name following soon after. "Except when I'm pissed," she added.

"I'd probably still love it." His throat cleared. "I called to tell you, you can't come over."

"Oh." Even she heard the disappointment in her voice. "The paps are rabid as usual, I'm guessing."

"Yeah, I'm really fucking sorry. They're circling and Aro, my neighbor, said he had to try to shoot down another drone. It's such a pain in the ass, but until this shit with Vicky dies down and they get bored, it'll be hard for me to leave."

"I understand, Edward. It's just now I'll have to continue without this second fitting and I'm worried. What if you gained a few pounds?"

"Yeah, in his pants," Jake cackled in the background.

"Shut up, asshole," Edward hissed. "What are you twelve?"

"Where are you?" She listened closely, detecting a familiar sound. One she heard right outside at that very moment; her neighbor was trimming his trees in his backyard. Her feet were way ahead of her, sprinting down the hall toward the front door. The door flung open to find Edward fucking Cullen smirking down at her. Jake waved at her from behind him, winking. She grabbed the man of her dreams as of late by the strings of his hoodie, tugging him inside. "Thank you, Jake. Bye!"

The door slammed closed and Edward grunted as his back hit the solid wood. "Bella," he whispered, making her whimper. She heard the clatter of their phones falling on the wood floor and didn't give a fuck.

"Oh God, you're here and so soon after that picture." Bella tried to control herself, but she couldn't as their lips met. Soft full lips, tugging and teasing, hinting of things to come. Her fingers flung back the hood of his jacket, her other hand working its way through his hair. There was no mistaking the desire in his kiss, in the way he demanded her full attention with the gentle graze of his teeth and tongue. She pulled back to breathe, unable to look away from his darkened gaze. "Tell me to stop and I will, but only if you're not ready. And not because you think I'll regret it, because I won't." He didn't say a word, but he groaned into another kiss, protesting when she pulled away.

"We promised –" His brow furrowed, his fingers digging tightly on her hips.

"Not to fuck," she whispered, dropping to her knees. She looked up at him, watching him pant and rake his long fingers through his hair. "Edward."

"Fuck yes, please," he whispered, watching her intensely. She kept the connection through their mutually heated gazes as the zipper of his dark jeans parted under her guiding fingers. "Bella, Bella, Bella." He was so lost in her eyes, his head hitting the door harder than he intended. She laughed softly, his hips jerking at the feel of her warmth breath against him, his hand cupping the back of her head. "Bella." This time it was a groan, his eyes closing as she took him in her hand. Hard as steel and feeling hotter than her own skin, she gripped tightly and took him in her mouth.

Edward wasn't prepared for the sheer pleasure and heat of her. She didn't tease or play with him; she took every inch of him the first time and every time, working him slowly, building speed. And he was missing it—the look in her eyes, the image of her lips stretched around him.

"Oh fuck," he grunted, as her free hand slipped into his boxers to tease him in another way. Then she stopped, her mouth still wrapped tightly around him, but she had stilled. It was harder to open his eyes than he thought, heavy with spellbinding desire. "If I look at you, I'll embarrass myself." The soft quick puffs of her laugh made him groan out loud.

"Edward," she murmured, surprising him since her mouth was full. He looked down, cursing at the mere sight of her soft pink lips wrapped around him. The second their eyes met, she slipped him in deep, tugged on his balls, and fucking hummed until he came down her throat with a shout of her name and a promise to marry her tomorrow if she did it this every day for the rest of their lives.

He helped her to her feet, too incoherent to say anything other than her name. She wrapped her arms around him, whispering something he couldn't quite catch. "What did you say?"

"I thought I'd get that out of the way, there's no room for that thing, when you're hard, in the pants I made for you." She looked up at him, unapologetic and just fucking adorable and carefree. Laughing, he pulled her tight against his chest. "Hey, hey now, don't start rubbing up against me."

His lips sucked lightly on her exposed neck, loving the smooth feel of her skin fresh out of a shower. "It's your turn."

She pulled away, walking backward and pulling him along. "No need. I came, too."

"Fuck me."

She laughed all the way to the studio, smiling at him brighter than any marquee with his name up in lights. He was quickly learning, she lit him up, too.

* * *

 **AN: Damn these two. I'm swear if it were up to me, they'd already be at Comic Con getting their geek on, but no. These two do all the thinking for me, they're the ones writing this fic. Thanks to my love and partner in crime kyla713 for her help cleaning this fic up. My sweet Krystel, aka MyOnlyHeroin, for whom I'm writing this for, wrote me a birthday fic, too! It's so sweet, check it out. It's called As Leaves Fall.** **Okay, I swear the fitting will be in the next chapter *glares at a necking E/B* and then a time jump to the first day of Comic Con.**


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter Sixteen**

* * *

Edward couldn't stop himself from touching Bella, especially while she worked. His fingers would linger on the soft skin of her wrist for a moment or two, or his hand would tighten on her hip if she started to move too far as she moved around him.

Whatever they had since the beginning, intensified a hundred-fold since she claimed him against the door. And it was one hell of a claiming.

Despite her reassurance and acceptance earlier, he had to ask, "Is this okay?" The tip of his nose brushing along her jawline, until his lips found her ear to sample.

She hummed, tipping her head enough for his mouth to skim her elegant neck. "Yes." She moaned softly, her hand settling on chest. "I mean no." Her words more like a groan, as she pulled away. "If you keep going, we won't surface for days."

He advanced a step closer, her words painting a vivid picture in his mind. "The problem being?" When she held up her hand, he stopped. "Sorry, but it's not fair." The pout worked on his sister and mother; would it work on Bella?

Looking thoroughly dazed, she cocked her head to one side in confusion. "What's not fair?"

"I didn't get to see you come." He pulled her close again, his lips finding a sweet spot along where her neck met her shoulder. Every time he pressed a kiss there, she melted and this time it was no different. "I need to see you come, Bella."

"Oh fuck," she moaned, her fingers sliding up his sides. Her touch was only making everything so much harder for them. "If you let me finish the fitting, you can."

He pulled back, watching her eyes flutter open to look up at him. Her cheeks were flushed, lips slightly swollen, they reason why popped up in his mind, the image of her on her knees, his cock in her mouth only made him groan. How was supposed to _not_ touch her long enough for her to finish?

"Please," she whispered, as if she knew he was struggling with his desire for her. "We need to get this out of the way first. Please." She looked up him, awaiting his reply.

He held out his arms, much like the time she had to slather him in blue shit to make the mold for his arm piece.

"Thank you. Now that I have you here, we need to decide what we're going to do once we reach the hotel." She gave him a pointed look. "Please strip down to your boxers."

She acted quite professional as he complied. No ogling, much to Edward's disappointment. _It_ _'s for the best,_ he reminded himself.

Bella handed him a pair of black pants, that looked like they'd come off the movie set. "These look like the real deal."

"They should for what you're paying for them." She watched him step into the pants, the fact that her eyes lingered on his ass helped him feel better. He wanted her as desperate for his touch as he was for hers. "Anyway, I know we're not staying at the hotel, but we're stowing all our cosplay gear and costume changes there. I can do the check in and drop everything off on my own and meet you back at the house we're staying in. If you want to join me, we'll have to do something about your appearance. I have an idea for that, if that's what you decide to do."

"We're driving down there together, and I have no plans to be separated from you once we start this adventure." Edward started to stretch out in the pants to check the fit, but Bella hadn't said a word. He looked up and almost laughed out loud. She was ogling now, and he did his best to give her a show. He went extra slow pulling up the zipper, harder to do since she was watching him.

She licked her lips, her gaze still glued to his fingers near his cock. "You'll need a disguise to walk through the lobby. Something you can wear more than once, easy to put on and remove, and comfortable."

"I'd like to go down to the bar for a few drinks with you. Let's do whatever we can to make that possible." He waited, but she seemed to be preoccupied, still staring. "Miss Swan, what are you looking at?"

His words snapped right out of her stupor and had her grinning. "Sorry, well, not really. Give me a slow turn, to see if they fit well."

He did as she asked, aware his lower back dimples she loved were on full display.

"Fuck, they look good." She asked him to turn around again. "Give me Bucky's walk, the one we practiced." Again, he complied, striding past her as she watched his every move. He practiced the walk for the last two days, and he had to admit it felt empowering in the costume. "Do they feel too uncomfortable anywhere?"

He looked over his shoulder, cocking an eyebrow. "Just around one place, Bella."

She shook her head, pointing to his original spot. "At ease, solider."

Edward cursed when she dropped to her knees to work on the hem of the pants. "And now the pants are even tighter." He rubbed his face hard, trying to get his body to behave.

She ignored his words, staying professional. "The boots you're wearing with these are taller than what you usually wear, so we'll have to check if they fit around your ankle comfortably while you wear them." She traced the inseam of his right leg, pinching the fabric here and there to check for fit. "Turn around."

"I'm not sure how I feel about exposing my back dimples to you again." He chuckled when she swatted his calf, grumbling something not meant for him to hear. He turned like she asked. "I've had fitting before, and not once did they trace the inseam of my pants like you are doing now."

There was one, but she was kicked off the set after several stars complained about her.

"I usually don't work with this material." She winced, as if picturing something bad. "I want to make sure you're not going to chafe or be uncomfortable." He watched her over his shoulder as she rose to her feet, her eyes narrowed and stern. "I would never take advantage of someone like that, Edward." She kissed his shoulder blade. "Is this okay?"

"It's very okay."

Her answering smile was sweet, her hand brushing down the middle of his back. "Sexiest fucking back in Hollywood, I swear." She walked around him, asking him to insert a finger or two around the waistband since she didn't trust herself. "Okay, the fit is good. Let's move onto the top or else."

She shook her head, walking toward a garment bag hanging on a hook in the wall.

"Or else what?" As if he didn't know? Then again, Bella often surprised him, so he had to ask.

She looked over her shoulder, her eyes moving from his feet and moved up to linger on his chest. "I really want to rake my nails and leave a few scratches along that sexy trail toward glory."

He pointed to a large table covered with a white cloth; she had covered it before he had a chance to look at the contents. "You do that and I'll lift you up on that table and leave a few marks of my own, with my mouth."

She shivered, looking at the table and then at him again. As if she was contemplating taking him up on his offer. "We really need to rein it in before we get nothing done."

"Agreed."

She opened a garment bag, removing the one-armed leather jacket from inside, and what appeared to be an undershirt. After a few minutes, they had him dressed in the full costume, minus the faux Vibranium metal arm.

Edward turned toward the mirror and rolled his shoulders to check the fit along his back, twisting from side to side. "The fit is damn good."

Bella scoffed. "Did you really think otherwise?"

Edward shook his head. "I've had many fittings before, and they were never this spot on the second time around."

She blew on her nails, rubbing them on her shirt. "Damn, I good." She asked him to do the same thing with the top as she had the bottoms—try out Bucky's walk. Striding around him, she checked the fit and marked only one place that needed an adjustment. "Now I have all the props you're allowed to bring in, and the face mask over here." She walked toward the table, partially removing the white cloth. "All very light weight since you'll be wearing this for about six hours on the third day, when the best Marvel panels are happening."

Edward whistled, picking up what appeared to be a black knife. "What do you mean the third day? I'm not wearing this all three days?"

"To help with avoiding detection, it might be a good idea to be dressed differently each day." She shrugged. "Then there's also the chance that they'll think you're freaking Sebastian Stan under there. Why risk it?"

He looked at her. "You're talking about three costumes, that's a lot of fucking work for what I'm paying you. We'll talk numbers later." He gave her a look, because he refused to not pay her for the extra work. "What other costumes do you have for me?"

"For us." She pulled out the pieces of his costumes she already had done and he'd have to try on, too. It required a little over an hour of makeup for the character, but it wasn't so bad, except for the red contacts. He was going to have to tell her he hated them and it would be nearly impossible to get them on.

"This means we'll have to stop at the beach house, get into costume, and check in as our alter egos to drop off our things." His couldn't help but smile. "This is going to be fun." He gently grabbed her wrist and pulled her close. "Does this mean I get to see you in spandex, too?"

She smiled up at him innocently, though he knew she was anything but that. Carefully, she lifted off the rest of the cloth off the table, waving at the pieces of her costume. Her Loki themed jacket already looked incredible, but she had mentioned she'd already gotten a lot of done. There was a partially finished red leather jacket of another Marvel character.

"You're going to look so damn good." He tested the feel of the red leather jacket, finding it not only sexy as fuck, but warm under his touch. The quality was top notch. He noticed there was something green under the rest of the cloth on the table. "What's this?"

"Don't!" She tried to stop him, but it was too late.

His mouth dropped open as he flung off the cloth, his hands fisting on his sides. "What the hell are those?"

"My matching Loki inspired lingerie."

He turned his heated gaze toward her, his eyes taking in every inch of her from head to toe, imagining her in the minuscule pieces.

"Let me put them away, I would never have left them out if I knew you were coming. Remember, you showed up unexpectedly." She made to grab the pieces off the table, but he stopped her to pull her toward him.

His words were a mere husky whisper, his lips brushing softly along her shoulder. "Let's finish what we _need_ to do, so I can do what I _want_ to do."

She shivered, his body feeling every vibration against him. "What do you want to do?"

He wrapped his hand around her back to curl over her waist, pulling her side tighter against the front of his body. "You had a taste, Bella. Now I want one of you, too."

* * *

 **AN: Can you guess by the hints who else they'll dress up as?**

 **These characters never listen. I was supposed to get them to San Diego, they won't let me. Thanks to Kyla713 for your help with the chapter. I know Vibranium was never confirmed as the type of metal used for Bucky's arm, but that's what I used since its cool. Thanks for everyone being so patients as writer's block got the best of me and then the death in the family kept me from writing for a few weeks. Hope to get into the swing of things again and work on a few WIPs.**


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter Seventeen**

* * *

Edward somehow kept himself under some control while Bella worked, barely containing the desire to taste her while completing his fitting. They were both ready and willing to explore a little, but a call soon put a stop to it all.

His mother was calling, and with his grandfather ill, it wasn't something he could ignore.

He spoke quietly to his mother as Bella worked on the costumes that needed only the slightest of adjustments, since most were a perfect fit. Through desire-heavy eyes, he watched her, wondering how he managed not to tear their clothes off during the last two hours. Not an easy feat, by any means.

While he listened to his mother, Bella flashed a worried glance every time he would run his hand through his hair. It was his tell when he was nervous or scared, and something she already recognized.

After deciding it was best to go home to his family, Edward ended the call and reached for her, and without a word, she came into his arms willingly.

"I need to go back home for a few days."

She hummed against his chest, looking up at him, concern warming her eyes more than ever. "I figured as much, they need you."

"I'll send over the key and address for my buddy's place in San Diego with Jake. I'll meet you there, then we'll get dressed up for our trip to the hotel to drop off our things."

"Let me know if something changes."

He nodded, brushing his lips against hers. "If it wasn't an emergency, you know I'd drive down there with you. Right?"

"Of course, though now I'm worried about how you'll get down to San Diego without someone seeing you." She tugged gently on the back of his hair, brushing her lips gently over his mouth. "And if you'll be okay."

"My grandfather is stubborn and a fighter. If he ain't ready to leave, he'll come back to us, to Nana." He explained that a bad cold quickly turned to bronchitis, and how the hard coughing caused a malfunction with his pace maker. He was breathing on his own; a good sign.

She walked him through her house to the front door, where his buddy, Garrett was waiting for him in the driveway. A quick introduction was all they could afford, since a private plane was already waiting for Edward at the airport, thanks to his family.

Edward felt her gaze follow him down the driveway, and though he hated the look of concern in her eyes, it also felt oddly comforting. He shook his head, glancing over her shoulder to find her still watching him. She gave him a small wave and a smile. He knew right then, she would miss him. Another strange, but comforting fact he'd have to get used to.

.

.

.

* * *

 _Omg! He's so cute, tell him I said hello please – Bella_

Edward couldn't help but laugh, showing his gramps Bella's reaction to the selfie he sent her. The old man squinted at the screen of his phone, even though Edward had increased the font size. He wasn't a stickler for using his glasses, usually avoiding it as much as possible.

Edward and Bella had been exchanging messages all morning, almost a week after he arrived in Seattle. It wasn't long before fans and the paparazzi found out he was in Washington, annoying his parents' neighbors and dogs by showing up their house in the hopes to catch a story or picture for the last few days.

"Cute," his gramps grunted, his wispy white hair perfectly styled for the video call Edward had set up with Bella. "Let me have another look at her."

Edward shook his head, pulling up the picture Bella sent him of her, all smiles and a deceptively innocent look her eyes. There was just a hint of cleavage, but to be fair, she had no idea he would share the picture with his grandfather.

His gramps made a sound, grabbing his chest with his left hand. "If only I was thirty years younger."

Edward playfully growled, grumbling, "You'd still be old enough to be her grandfather." He typed out a message to Bella, unaware his grandfather was watching him closely.

Edward laughed at her response seconds later, his grandfather joining him. "Well, I'll be. About time someone touched your heart."

Edward's eyes snapped up, the organ in his chest beating a bit too hard and fast. It was a good thing he was in a hospital. His brain was still trying to make sense of the words his grandfather said aloud. It was something he often argued with himself about, if he could spare a moment of clarity.

"Calm down, boy." The old man rolled his eyes, but couldn't keep the smile off his face. "When you figure it out, it'll hit you so damn hard, it'll knock you off your feet."

"I—I…Figure out what?"

The old man lifted his withered hand up, slowly patting his only grandson's arm. "A beautiful woman like her wouldn't waste her morning with the likes of us unless she cared about you. Don't you worry, she'll be there to catch you."

Edward spaced out for a while, long enough for his parents to return with his nana in tow, having gone to lunch and to get some much-needed rest.

"Who's catching him?" Nana and Edward's mother, Esme, exchanged a look, each them grinning ear-to-ear. They noticed the subtle changes in Edward over the last week, but hadn't grilled him for information.

Kate, his baby sister at only twenty years old, looked up from her cell phone and giggled. "Isabella Swan, that's who."

 _How the fuck does she know?_

Edward stood up abruptly. "There's too many of us in the room, they're going to kick us out."

He felt like caged animal, desperately looking for a way out. Acknowledging his feelings for Bella was one thing; sharing her with his family when he barely had a chance to enjoy more than a couple of handful of hours with her, was something else.

"Come on, Eddie," Kate teased, thumbs flying over her phone's screen. "Did you think Garrett wouldn't share that kind of information with me?" She batted her lashes at him, winking.

Not wanting to talk about his new relationship, he focused on Kate. He knew his friends were asking about his baby sister too much. "What are you doing talking to them anyway?"

She grinned. "You probably don't want to know the answer to that."

Carlisle, Edward's father, rolled his eyes, much like his grandfather. "Let him be, everyone. When he's ready for us to meet her, we will." Turning to his daughter, he leveled her a glare. "Now, onto this Garrett business."

Edward blew out a breath, thankful for the change of subject, but it wasn't enough. "I need some air." He walked out of the large, private hospital room he insisted on his grandfather having, and into the not so private hallway. The extra security he hired to keep the paps away were posted on each end. They each gave him a wave, one of them pointing to the stairway leading up to the roof. He used the escape route a few times to get some privacy, something he needed now more than ever.

It was hotter than usual, sun beating down on his forehead and the back of his neck. He had to call Bella, but with everything his family said downstairs, he was worried. Was he too attached already? The physical part always came easy; it was the emotional aspect that was never something he really wanted with anyone, until Bella.

It just wasn't so easy to admit to his family and maybe himself.

He was scared, fearing the future, and for good reasons. Hollywood was hardly known for long lasting, loving relationships. Losing Bella now would undoubtedly hurt, but if it happened later, months, years down the road, could he handle the crushing pain?

The cynical part of him said the pain could be channeled into his performances, maybe even win him a few awards. It was what most did in his world. The other side told him he'd never truly survive it. He'd drown in alcohol and drugs, work himself to the point that he'd burn out or end up in rehab.

His phone vibrated in his hand, a message from Bella. _Jake dropped off the key to the house. I feel like such a selfish bitch, but I really hope I'll see you there tomorrow._

He wasn't quite ready to promise her anything, though his fingers itched to do just that. Instead, he said he'd video call her soon; he had promised his grandfather, after all.

.

.

.

* * *

Bella stretched her arms overhead, sighing as her muscles protested after being cooped up in the car. Between working on last minute touches to not only her and Edward's costumes, but several projects that also needed her attention. She had stayed up all night to work on them, barely managing to get a few hours of sleep before she packed everything she needed for the trip.

The sun was slightly hidden by a bank of clouds, but wouldn't disappear for long. There was so much to do before she had to set out for the hotel. Edward had yet to confirm his flight information, only stating that he was doing what he could to get there on time.

Dylan Redding, a fellow actor who also worked on _The Dark Files_ with Edward _,_ sent Jake over with the key to the house, and a care package the day before. Inside the box was a six pack of Edward's favorite lager, some chocolate covered strawberries, a huge box of condoms, and a set of instructions for the house, and some tips to get under Edward's skin.

Dylan also left his phone number. Apparently, he'd looked her up online and liked what he saw. She pulled it up on her cell phone, smiling when he immediately answered. "I'm here and I see you decorated."

On the front door was sign that said W _ELCOME_ in big bold letters, and just under that was another sign. _If the house is a rockin', don't come a knockin'._

The southern accent Dylan worked hard to cover in the show was deeper than she'd ever heard it. "I thought you'd appreciate a warm welcome and the other one works as a 'do not disturb' sign. Just stating facts, sweetheart."

Bella laughed, silently thankful that Edward had such good friends. "We're in town for a convention."

"That's a damn shame, Miss Swan."

Bella held the phone up with her shoulder, trying her best to unlock the door. It wasn't a huge house, looking more like a cozy cottage from the outside. "I'm sure Edward already asked you to—"

"I will keep my mouth shut about him attending the convention, but I'm curious as hell on who he plans to dress up as. That ugly mug of his is so damn recognizable, don't really understand why."

"I'm aware he's highly recognizable, and we worked around that issue," she murmured, nearly dropping her phone when she stepped inside. She loved her house, thought it was beautiful, but the unassuming beach cottage on the outside was a real beauty on the inside. "This place is amazing."

"Aw, glad you like it, sugar." He had to get back on the set and said he'd check in later, leaving Bella alone with her thoughts and sudden state of anxiety.

People like Dylan and Edward had more money than they knew what to do with it. What the hell was Edward doing with her? How long would it last? The thought of not seeing this project through, failing at it, hurt her at the mere thought of it _._ To endure the pain of a typical Hollywood breakup, having to see him everywhere, in everything, would be so hard on her.

Yet, she believed if anyone could make a relationship work, it was them. Right?

A shadow caught her eye, large and in the shape of a man. She had forgotten to close the damn door during her state of awe. Her heart kicked up a few beats faster, her feet automatically taking a fighter's stance, her hands curling into fists. Black sheep or not, her Daddy had taught her how to throw a right hook. She swirled around, her arm flying upward, ready to strike.

Edward caught her wrist and prevented her knee from getting acquainted with his balls. Once the threat was gone, his hand slid up her thigh to her hip, tugging until there was no space between them.

"I see you're happy to see me." His lips stretched into a smirk, taking in the fact that she was breathing hard, fear mingled with a whole lot of desire. "Your nipples are saying hello."

She huffed, tugging her hand free and curling her fingers in his hair. Her knees brushed up along his thigh, noticing his hardened length, the way his nostrils flared at the minimal touch, and the darkening of his eyes. "Your cock is saying…" she whispered in his ear, "…free me." Her voice going up a few octaves toward the end.

His laughter was part groan, his forehead dropping onto her bare shoulder. During his flight and drive in from Burbank, he thought long and hard about what the weekend would mean to him. Doubts weren't foreign to him, he dealt with them in the past, but this was different. He wasn't doubting his feelings anymore, or even hers. They were easy to decipher when they were there reflecting at him in her whiskey eyes.

No, it was outside elements that worried him. A part of him wanted to step back, to make sure she could handle a relationship with him, but the moment he caught sight of her in the house, he realized how much he missed her. He knew he'd do everything, or anything to keep her with him.

"As happy as he is to see you, I'm fucking ecstatic." He pulled her arms up to his shoulders, his own wrapping around her waist as he kissed her. There was nothing tentative about the meeting of their lips, it felt more like a "welcome home" or "I've missed you" kind of kiss. Maybe a little both, with a heavy dose of lust and something else thrown in.

"That's putting it mildly," she murmured, her head lolling to one side so his lips could explore the length of her neck.

He tapped her ass twice, pulling back and winking. "We have a lot to do before we can head back to the hotel. And I'm dying for a shower."

She cocked an eyebrow. "Hmm, I was just thinking the same thing."

Did she mean she was willing to share one? "Yeah?"

She gave him the keys to her SUV. "I need to turn on the water heater and get a few things up and running. Can you get our bags? Everything in the trunk stays, that's going to the hotel." She laughed at his grumbling, but she caught his smile as there was no missing his whistling as he started to walk outside. "Come join me when you get the bags inside."

Her words, basically asking his unspoken question, stopped him for a second, then he was off in a flash.

.

.

.

* * *

He watched the house, wondering if he should stop and say hello, but he had a feeling the occupants within wouldn't be too keen on his sudden appearance. The front door of the house suddenly opened, Edward dashing to the silver SUV and grabbing two bags from the backseat and stopping at his pickup to grab his own duffel bag. He stopped just outside of the door, looking around quickly, pulling the bill of his cap down further of his head, as if he had sensed someone was watching.

The rest of the week should be interesting, he realized as he drove off, needing to get ready for whatever happened next.


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter Eighteen**

* * *

Seeing Edward certainly helped put whatever lingering doubts Bella had to rest. Though the next few days centered geeky things and the Marvel Universe, Edward was there with her. It helped that some of the emotions and desire she felt she saw in his eyes, too.

Dressed in an old camo jacket, perfectly faded jeans, and boots, he looked damn good. Mouthwatering, in fact. It was hard to walk away from him, but she had to if they planned to check in at the hotel and get a few drinks with some fellow Comic Con enthusiasts. She had to get him into makeup and costume in the next hour.

She heard his footsteps in the hallway. "Maybe showering together isn't a good idea."

"Maybe." He dropped their bags by the foot of the bed, joining her in the large master bath. His arms wrapped around her from behind. "We have about an hour at most before we need to start getting ready, and that certainly isn't enough time to explore every inch of you."

Her head fell back against his shoulder, his lips doing delicious things to her ear and neck. "Just think, by this time tomorrow, when we're done for the day, we can come back and test that big water heater with a long shower."

He groaned. "That's hardly helping, Bella. You feel so damn good right here." His hands slid up her sides, his fingers grazing her breasts. "Correction, you feel damn good everywhere."

Bella's hips danced a hypnotic sway, feeling the effect she had on Edward. Their eyes met in the mirror over the counter, each of them itching for something to help take the edge off.

"Can you keep your hands to yourself?" Her words were a whisper and a dare, her eyes glancing toward the shower. "Just watch."

He lifted one of her hands to his lips, sucking on a fingertip. "No, but if I get to look at you washing yourself with these pretty fingers, I'm not passing that up."

Edward gave her waist one last squeeze, watching in her in the mirror as he started to strip. He'd driven from Oregon to San Francisco and wanted to get the stink of travel and summer heat off his skin.

Bella remained rooted by the counter, keeping her back to him as he stepped toward the shower. He lifted the shirt in that way men do, with a fistful of fabric and display of gorgeous muscles.

"Your turn, Bella."

The hungry look in his eyes had her nearly dancing for him, something he appreciated. A groan spilled from his lips, his hand rubbing over his hard length under his jeans. Her tiny shorts disappeared behind the door, her ass nearly bare, only covered by sheer fabric.

"Fuck." Edward climbed into the shower, his jeans and boxer briefs already gone. Water slipped from his hair, down his face, and lingered on his chest.

She couldn't stop staring at him through the mirror.

"Keep going." His voice was rough, his hands moving over his body to quickly wash away the feel and scent of traveling all day.

She simply nodded, desire making words catch in her throat. Her hands lifted her shirt over her head, tossing it aside. Another curse from Edward had her smiling, since she wasn't wearing anything underneath. "Oh, this is fun." She couldn't help but put a little more hip action in as she finished undressing.

Edward's grumbling came to a stop as she stood bare before the entrance to the shower. "Come here." He held out his hand, waiting for her to take it. Somehow, he managed to keep his eyes on just her face and eyes. Placing his hands on her hips, he guided their bodies around until the water cascaded over her head.

Bella's eyes rolled closed, the water the perfect temperature to elicit a moan of pleasure. She felt Edward's fingers tighten around her hips for just a moment, long enough to know he planned on letting go.

She grabbed a hold of his wrists, opening her eyes to meet his darkened gaze. "One more second." At his nod, a mischievous grin found its way onto her lips. "I just want to try one thing before we stop." She moved his hand from her hip to her ass, his cock hard, twitching against her stomach.

"Fucking hell, woman!" He wasn't mad, considering he gave her ass a squeeze. As payback, he wrapped his arms around her tightly, hard enough to make her squeal and lifting her feet off the ground.

"I swear if you drop me or we slip on this wet tile, I'm going to kick you where it hurts."

Edward had yet to put her down, but he pulled back to see the grin still on her face. "That would be a fucking tragedy, considering that 'it' has plans this week."

Her laughter made her body move in a way that had him groaning again. He put her down, helping her washing her hair as they discussed what the plan was after they finished getting dressed. She estimated she needed about ninety minutes for his prosthetics and makeup; her "costume", being much simpler, only needed about forty-five minutes, at most.

Since they didn't have a chance to do a test run on the makeup for Edward's new costume, it would be the first time and she was already nervous about it. She stepped out of the shower, in business mode, still discussing their plans, something Edward understood perfectly and admired her for it.

The problem was his body hadn't received the message.

"Are you coming?" She met his gaze in the mirror, her mouth dropped open when she realized he was stroking himself.

"Give me about five minutes, I'll join you in a bit." He cocked an eyebrow when she didn't move, just kept watching him. "If you keep looking at me like that, maybe less."

"How am I supposed to walk away?" She threw her hands up in the air, the towel she wrapped around her body falling to the ground. "Oops." Her bending down to grab it didn't help matters.

Or maybe it did since Edward's following grunt was deep.

"I'm going now." She had to get out of there before she gave into the need to help him take care of his problem. Her hand refused to twist the knob, her fingers slipping beneath her towel. Maybe she could…

"Fuck me," Edward groaned, and she turned to find him reaching for the door to the shower. He appeared to be at the end of his rope. "You better go, Swan."

She did.

.

.

.

* * *

Fifteen minutes later, they met up in the large walk-in closet of the master bedroom. The lighting was perfect to suit Bella's needs. In the center, a large, dark leather chaise lounge chair held their costumes. The vanity along the east wall was almost six feet long and kept all her supplies within reach.

Edward sat in a comfortable chair in front of the bright lighting, directly under one of the air conditioning vents. Since makeup was only needed for his face and hands, Bella worked fast to recreate Vision's unique skin color. She had worked out the perfect formula over the last few days, and had been able to replicate it with ease.

"Did you just shave?" Her fingers skimmed along his jaw, eliciting a shiver in him. She ignored the reaction, though a part of her thrived on the fact that her touch caused such an effect.

"Yes."

She got to work on priming his face, checking for any problem areas. His skin was smooth and blemish free, and other than a scar along the underside of his chin, she was rather impressed. Music played from some hidden speakers in the room, filling the silence between them.

"What's wrong?" She couldn't take his silence. It had been close in the shower, but they managed to walk away before acting on what they wanted. What was his problem?

"I have to tell you something and you're not going to like it."

Her hands stilled, one in his hair and the other holding up a brush. "Just tell me, because right now my imagination is going a little crazy."

His brow tightened before he looked up at her. "Sorry, I guess I understand why what I said would upset you." He patted her thigh, skimming his fingers over her knee. "There's no one else, Bella. Trust me on that."

"I do, I swear, but for a second, I thought the worst. That you changed your mind or something. Sorry. Please continue." She was babbling, laughing internally at herself. He had made it clear, practically since they met, that he was serious about her.

"Ican'twearcontacts."

"What was that?"

Edward glared at the mirror, though not at her reflection, but himself. "I can't wear contacts."

"You have to wear contacts. Your eyes are the most recognizable feature other than your magical fucking jaw."

"Magical jaw?" He rubbed said jaw with his fingers, smirking as she stared. "You think this is magical, just wait until—"

She tugged on his hair, causing him to yelp in surprise. "I'm quite aware of the magic in your pants, Cullen. What I'm trying to say is that you _need_ to wear contacts. There's no way any of this will work, if you don't."

"I've tried wearing them before, I can't get them in my damn eyes."

His confession was said with such conviction, Bella believed him. It would explain how producers and directions always changed a character's eye color if it meant Edward Cullen would star in their films. She was surprised it hadn't been a part of the gossip that usually spread among film crew.

"Are we talking Rachel Green level of phobia or a lesser extreme?"

"I'm not that bad."

They were, of course, talking about an episode of _Friends_ where Rachel's character had an eye infection and couldn't even put eyedrops in her eyes for it, until Monica took matters into her own hands.

"But you've never been able to put in your contacts."

"Or let anyone do it, either."

Bella groaned and started to pace. "We don't have time for this. I can't believe you waited this long to tell me. What are you supposed to do now? If I had known, we could've found costumes that had some kind of eye mask."

"No one will notice it's me under all the makeup tonight."

"Your eyes are going to pop against all this scorched scarlet skin."

"Anyone there will be more focused on your legs than my damn eyes."

She threw a makeup brush at his chest. "Don't try to distract me with compliments. We're going to put in the contacts that I special ordered. End of discussion."

"I'm telling you, I've tried everything. I can't relax enough to put them in and eventually gave up on trying. I lost a movie role during my early career because I couldn't do it."

"How about I tell you that the only way you're getting these lips," she pointed to her mouth, even pouting a little to tease him, "anywhere near your dick, is if you put on the contacts?"

His eyes widened to near saucers. How did he think no one would recognize that unique shade of hunter green? One look from a fan or hater and his identity would be given away in seconds.

"You're serious?"

She stood in front of him, taking his hand in hers and lifting one of his fingers into her mouth. Teasing him with a little bite and deep suck, she had him right where she wanted him.

His mouth dropped open. "F-fuck, I'll do it."

She dropped his hand and gave him a brush of her lips. "The second we get to the hotel room successfully, without giving your identity away, I let my lips show my appreciation for doing it."

Edward's eyes narrowed as he shifted on the chair to get comfortable again. She started to work on his face again, humming along to the music.

"I finally figured you out, Swan."

"What have you figured out?"

"You're trying to kill me. You're one of those obsessed fans, and if I don't do what you say, you're going to go crazy _Misery_ style."

The smile on her face fell, the warmth in her eyes turning ice cold. "Where's my sledge hammer?"

"Ha, ha." When her façade didn't change, he cleared his throat. "You're good and fucking scary. Go back to _my Bella_ , please."

The change was instant, her hands lifting to his face so she could look into his eyes. "I like being your Bella."

His gaze lingered on hers, finally dropping to her lips. "Any chance I can be your Edward?"

She returned to her work, but not before pressing a soft kiss on his cheek. "I say chances are very good."

* * *

 **AN: So their other costumes are Vision and Wanda, but in everyday clothing, not costumes they wear during battles. The plan is wear them for the first day or so, but for day there is a lot of Marvel panels, they'll go as Loki and Winter Soldier. Now, to get them to the hotel and see if Bella's work allows Edward to walk among other CC fans.  
**


	19. Chapter 19

**Incognito—Chapter Nineteen**

* * *

"Oh fuck!" Edward stepped away from the mirror, seriously having a moment of pure geekdom when he saw his reflection. "My new nose and cheekbones combined with my jaw give me Paul Bettany vibes, seriously amazing work. The color is spot on, Swan."

Bella was finishing her make up while he was supposed to be trying to put in the contacts.

"Stop stalling, Cullen!" Normally, she would've had him put them on before makeup, in case his eyes water. She let him get used to the idea of him sticking shit in his eye first.

Edward grabbed the stupid case for the contacts she had bought, wondering if he could really do it. Put something in his eye. The idea alone made him shudder.

"Try not to think of it as putting something _in_ your eye, but _on_ it." She walked into the room in barely-there underwear and thigh high stockings.

How was he supposed put something _on_ his eyes if Bella was walking around nearly naked? He wasn't one to waste an opportunity to ogle her.

"That's not helping." Edward sat down in the chair, pulling out his cell phone to watch a video on how to do it. "And how am I supposed to focus when you're dressed like that?"

She walked up behind him, massaging his shoulders for a few moments. Her reflection in the mirror showed her slightly darker makeup than usual. The redness of her lips made him think of her "reward" should he successfully put on the contacts.

"These costumes are fucking genius, but they'll only work if you put in the contacts." She squeezed his shoulders once more, leaving to finish dressing and fix up her hair.

Edward watched her go and wondered for the hundredth time how he had waited so long to take her to bed. "Because you want more, you asshole," he grumbled to himself.

"Aw, you say the sweetest things," he heard Bella say from the restroom. She popped her head out and winked. "And so do I. We're doing the right thing." Her smile made him want to succeed on his part, basically shutting up and putting in some damn contacts.

After watching a few videos from actual optometrist websites, he found another one that made it sound seem less daunting and none of the mumbo jumbo doctors used. He rose from the chair and headed toward the restroom for better lighting and to wash his hands.

"Ready?" Bella asked. She had finished her make up done and hair parted in the middle, her curls falling over her shoulders.

Edward silently asked from her to come closer, placing the lenses case on the bathroom counter. She stopped in front of him, curious to what he had in mind, no doubt. He motioned with a finger for her to spin around.

He wanted the full effect.

She smirked, stepping back and slowly spinning. The top was just like Wanda's casual clothes in _Civil War_ , black long sleeve with a red underlining. The short, black skirt flared from her waist and the hem grazed just under the tops of her thighs. The solid five inches of creamy skin from the skirt to the top of her stockings made him itch to touch her. She capped off the look with black combat boots, and it was then that he saw it.

The red glow emanating from the palms of her hands.

"What is that?"

Bella shrugged, flaring out her fingers, doing elaborate moves that mimicked Scarlet Witch's spellcasting. "I thought I should try for something for a special effect. It's just some red lights." She held up her wrists, and taped to the inside of them was a single wire, and at the end was a tiny light. "The button to turn them on are tucked under here." She showed him, seemingly nervous. "Is it stupid?"

"No!" He grabbed her shoulders, shaking her a little. "Stop doubting yourself. You've done an amazing job and we're only on the first costume. You've actually outdone yourself, since you were only supposed to make me the one."

"I know, but I want to give us a better chance of seeing as much of the convention as possible. For that, we needed more than one costume, plus something simpler like Vision in casual clothes will allow us to go have drinks at the bar, or having dinner at the hotel."

"You've thought of everything, so please stop doubting yourself. Go with your instinct."

Bella sighed loudly, her fingers dancing down his chest. "You're right, I'm usually not like this, but I think because it's so important to me…"

"It's important to me, too." Edward brushed his lips against hers, but lightly, due to their makeup, and that shit tasted awful sometimes. "Okay, let me see if I can do this."

She pulled back and cocked an eyebrow. "If?" Her fingers continued down his chest, skimming the waistband of his slacks. Suddenly, she palmed him. His cock was hard in record fucking time.

"Jesus, not if," he groaned, thrusting against her hand. "I _will_ do it." Edward ushered her out of the room, because he'd rather not make a fool out of himself in front of her.

Edward heard Bella sing along to the music she had on in the room, as he looked at himself in the mirror. He had full-on makeup with prosthetics on before, but it had been a few years. Whatever Bella used felt lighter, though it kept his identity a secret.

After some cursing and few failed attempts, he got the first one in ten minutes later.

"How's it going in there?" Bella knocked on the door. "Edward, I was only kidding. You don't have to wear them. Vision in shades would look badass."

Edward chuckled. "Now you tell me."

"I just don't want you to hurt your pretty eyes." She sounded genuinely distressed.

He opened the bathroom door, winking at her with his still empty eye. "Ye of so little faith." One eye was considerably darker, his own shade, while the other was a very pale green, like Vision in the movie. "I have one down, give me a few more minutes."

She leaned against the door, crossing her arms over her chest. "I'm going to miss your eyes."

He touched the side of her face, his thumb brushing her bottom lip. "I already miss yours." There was no missing the blue-gray of her eyes; they stood out against the dark eye makeup.

"Good to know." She kissed his cheek and finished packing up her things while he put in the other contact. It only took another five minutes—at least he could do it now. His agent was going to be thrilled once he told her.

"All done."

She threw her arms around his neck and grinned. "Someone really wants a blowjob."

"Always."

.

.

.

"Okay, the room is under my name." Bella walked into the lobby beside him, carrying one of the garment bags she brought with her. "Let me do the talking, until you have your voice down for the afternoon."

For the last couple of days, since Bella let him know he was dressing as Vision, he had practiced Paul's tone, accent and mannerisms. He hoped to impress Bella, as she had since this all started, countless times.

"Understood." They agreed he'd keep his talking simple, concise and to the point. "We're still going to the convention floor, right?"

"That's the plan, and maybe some drinks and dinner." Bella waved at someone she recognized, dressed as Superman, the most recent version. "We'll just go long enough to grab some gear and any information they may have for us."

Their lanyards and passes were hanging around their necks, and Edward looked around the hotel lobby to see many of the people with them, too. There were a lot more people dressed in casual wear than in cosplay costumes, but it was still early. He spotted a Captain America and what looked like Drax from Guardians of the Galaxy.

Some kid pointed them out to his father from across the room, and Edward and Bella both froze. It was why he insisted on coming with Bella; to test if it was possible to walk into a room with potential fans without being mobbed.

It was time to see if his plan to go incognito would work.

* * *

 **AN: Thanks to kyla713 for your help with the chapter. Pictures of Bella and Edward's costumes is up on my profile on Facebook and Twitter. I'll be updating again on Wed. See you then.**


	20. Chapter 20

**Incognito—Chapter 20**

* * *

Edward felt Bella still beside him but saw her smile as she glanced at the young boy. He had what appeared to be a Vision t-shirt on, surprising Edward. He'd seen a several comic book related t-shirts since arriving at the hotel, but most fans were wearing Captain America, Loki, and Iron Man shirts. This was the first person he'd seen with Vision.

The boy's father seemed hesitant on approaching them, but seeing the enthusiasm on his son's face made it impossible to ignore the opportunity to make his day. They started toward them, his father tipping his chin up, silently asking if it was all right.

Edward glanced at Bella, they each smiled and nodded at the boy and his father. Edward leaned toward Bella, whispering, "Are you ready?"

One of Bella's eyebrows arched high. "Do you doubt me?"

Edward nearly whistled at the accent resembling Wanda's in the movies, though not as thick as in _Age of Ultron._ Her voice sounded slightly deeper, and he didn't miss the look of smugness on her lips. There were times her confidence came out in spades, such as that moment. He leaned closer. "That was sexy."

He winked as he rose to his full height, straightening out his posture as Vision would, he would not slouch in the slightest. Keeping an eye on the boy, he offered him a small, no-teeth smile, something simple and concise as Vision would give a stranger.

Vision's warmest smiles were only for Wanda, so Edward would plan to only save his for Bella.

"Good afternoon," he said, his voice no longer sounding like his own. Bella gasped softly beside him, and he worked to remain in character and not smirk like she had. He had to act ever the professional, as if the camera was on.

The boy's mouth dropped, his eyes widening. "This is so cool!" He looked from Edward then to Bella. "Is she your girlfriend? Mom says Vision loves Wanda, is that true?"

The boy's father apologized, before turning his attention to his son. "I thought I told you not to read you mom's fan fiction."

Bella couldn't remain in character, laughing out loud. The boy's father blushed, running a nervous hand through his blond hair much like his son's, keeping his eyes on the child and not the costumed pair.

The boy pouted. "I only read the T rated stuff."

Edward decided to go with the flow. "I only wish to protect her." He gestured toward Bella, hoping that sounded like a suitable answer.

The boy scowled at his father but nodded at Edward. "So that's a yes." He sighed loudly, shrugging. "I guess that's okay, she's kind of cool. I'm Simon." He held out his hand, shaking both Edward and Bella's with the same excitement he had when he first spotted them. As his hand dropped to his side, Simon's eyes widened, his mouth once again dropping in surprise. "Your hands are glowing!" He pointed at Bella's hands.

Bella played it up, keeping her palms from view, her fingers fanning and moving with the same grace as the Scarlet Witch would.

He looked up at his dad. "Are you sure this isn't the real deal?"

"I'm sure," his father introduced himself as Alex. "Your costumes are remarkable. My wife is going to be upset she missed this. She loves your characters a lot."

"Considering she writes fan fiction with this ship, I don't find that hard to believe," Bella replied, still using Wanda's accent. She was pretty damn good; Edward was thoroughly impressed. "We're just checking in and putting away our things. We'll be coming down later to look around."

"Maybe we'll see you then," Alex said, shaking Bella's hand while Edward signed Simon's autograph book as Vision. "My wife would love a picture with you two," he added.

Bella suggested Edward and Simon take a photo, which the boy snapped up the chance to take.

While Edward and Simon posed for a few photos, Bella looked around to see if she could see Jacob. He had texted them earlier that he was near, and had been in the neighborhood of the beach house where they were staying earlier. She wasn't sure what he dressed as, but if she knew her friend, it was not be anything subtle. Plus, he allowed his boyfriend, Seth, free reign on his costumes.

Seth would undoubtedly be close, too. He still didn't know who Bella made the Vision and Winter Soldier costumes for, and it would remain that way for now, but Seth was smart. He'd eventually put two and two together.

She spotted someone dressed as _Guardian_ _s of the Galaxy's_ Yondu reading a newspaper, sitting in a chair across the lobby. The unique blue coloring was spot on, the fin on top of his head looked rather impressive, but the way the man sat suggested it was someone she knew. She crossed her arms over her chest, cocking an eyebrow and looking straight at him.

Yondu smiled but kept his eyes trained on the paper. It was Jacob and she realized that Seth needed a fucking raise. The details in the makeup and jacket were movie set worthy. She knew he was talented and the only way he'd grow was if she let him spread his wings a little. It wouldn't be long before he worked on a set and she'd lose him, but she was damn proud.

"Thanks for this," Alex said, taking his son's hand after a few photos with Bella. "We'll let you go, hopefully, we'll see you later." Simon seemed reluctant to go, until he saw an Iron Man entering the hotel.

"See you later," Simon said, waving as he tugged his father toward Iron Man.

Edward and Bella watched him go, both rather happy that so far, they were in the clear. "Let's go, before someone else stops us."

Bella's waggled her eyebrows. "Is someone eager for his reward?"

She had no idea, but he also felt it was unfair that he had yet to reciprocate. He obviously couldn't because of his makeup, but he had to make it up to her.

Edward took her elbow and gave it a squeeze. "Not before you come first."

Her eyes fluttered closed, a moan slipping from her lips. "What about your makeup?" she asked, reminding him that he couldn't do much with his mouth or fingers. "We'll figure that out. For now, let's get this shit up there. It's heavy."

She was right—her makeup case probably weighed close to forty pounds.

Bella led the way, since the room was under her name, toward the hotel's counter. The man behind it looked up from his computer screen, offering them the usual smile. It faltered when he saw they were costumed. Eric, according to his name tag immediately took Bella's license and started the process.

"Will the gentleman be staying with you?" He handed back Bella's license, after carefully inspecting it. "Under the circumstances, we try to ensure the safety of the guests and need to know who is here."

"Understandable, it could be anybody under all the makeup." Bella offered him a smile. "He's not staying with me, just helping me with my things."

Edward pulled out his wallet and handed him over Alec's license, having anticipated such a thing to happen. Alec was the closest of his friends that shared his height, facial structure, and general body frame. His Adam's apple bobbed as he waited for the truth to come out. Alec was known by his fans to be his friend but had no idea how often he'd posed as Edward to escape his house or a hotel.

"All right, everything looks to be in order." He handed them some packets that the convention left for guests, including some new rules and regulations for the safety of everyone. He pointed toward the general direction of the convention and offered them a card for their concierge.

Edward helped the bellhop to put everything in a cart, the young woman bubbly with excitement. She looked almost starry-eyed, and it instantly put him on alert.

"Let me guess, this is your first time working during Comic Con?" Bella asked her, as Tiffany led them to an empty elevator to head up to their floor.

The red head smiled brightly. "Can you tell?" She appeared sheepish but then smiled anyway. "I can't help it, I was a closet geek throughout high school, so this is kind of amazing. All day, I've seen my favorite heroes." She laughed, asking for a quick photo.

Edward was worried a close up would give him away, but Bella didn't argue, posing behind Tiffany, resting her temple against his shoulder. True to Vision's character and his own, Edward couldn't help but look at Bella instead of the camera.

He never believed in the whole love at first sight thing, but he was starting to question the possibility of falling in love in a matter of weeks.

Tiffany promised not to post the photo until much later, since she'd get in trouble. Of course, she asked if Edward was, in fact, Paul Bettany, since his accent was damn good. Edward dropped the accent but added a southern drawl to his voice to cover his own. "I assure you, I'm not. My girlfriend just happens to be amazing at this." He winked, laughing as they exited the elevator.

The trio talked about the upcoming panels they were planning to visit, and how for the evening, Edward and Bella were only visiting the booths. Their first full day wouldn't start until the next one, and they only had one anime panel Bella wanted to attend and then they'd continue exploring the convention floor.

Tiffany opened their suite and gave them the usual spiel about the room. Bella, along with Tiffany and Edward, settled their costumes on the north side bedroom, knowing it would be best for lighting when she worked on their makeup. The other bedroom would be for "naps", according to Bella.

Edward had to excuse himself after that comment, his cock clearly evident in his charcoal -colored slacks. Bella handed Tiffany a nice tip and finally closed the door behind her. She stood against it and Edward sat on one of the couches directly across the room. The large window behind him had bright sunlight spilling through, casting him in shadows. His elbow rested on the arm rest, his fingers brushing along his lips.

"Come here, beautiful." The roughness of voice sounded unfamiliar, but from the way Bella's thighs rubbed together, she liked it.

"You can't do anything with your make up." She walked slowly toward him. "You can't even…" She paused, taking the chair across from him, close enough to tease him with her perfume, but too far for him to touch. "Can't even fuck me with your fingers."

Edward groaned, his fingers twitching against his chin and mouth. "You brought makeup. Are you afraid I'm going to mark up the inside of your gorgeous thighs with all this red?" He held up two fingers, curling them slightly, in his own way teasing her.

"When you put it like that," she whispered, her tongue sweeping across her bottom lip. "That sounds hot." He waited to see if she'd elaborate. She didn't disappoint. "Knowing those marks from your fingers are there while I'm walking around downstairs."

Edward's whole body tensed, envisioning what she described. He wanted it. "Then that is what I want for my reward."

"Are you sure?" She stood up, stalking toward him, slowly settling across his lap. Her legs, long and so inviting lay across his thighs and couch. Her fingers brushed up his chest, then teased his white button up under the sweater. "I did promise to wrap these lips around your cock."

He wanted it—fuck, did he want it. His dick twitched in response to her words, to her nearness. "You did promise that, but if I remember correctly, I owe you one." His finger lightly traced the chain around her neck, down to the tops of her breasts. Her nipples tightened under her shirt, making his mouth water.

"You owe me nothing, besides I've come quite a bit since I met you." The teasing smile on her lips told Edward she knew exactly what she was implying with her innuendo. She knew he'd imagine her touching herself, he'd have to remember to ask her to do it one day.

At the moment, he wanted something else more.

He leaned down to whisper in her ear. "I want to watch you come undone by _my_ touch, _my_ fingers." He lifted her hand to his lips, sucking on a fingertip. "I want to mark your thighs with all this makeup so I can take time later to wash it off."

"Oh fuck." Bella's thighs fell open as his hand slid between them.

* * *

 **AN: According to reviews, everyone wants me to get Edward and Bella to the convention already, so that's what I'll do. Working on the next chapter already :)**


	21. Chapter 21

**Incognito—Chapter Twenty-One**

* * *

Edward wiped away some of the makeup off a few of his fingers as Bella suggested with her help. "Lay back and close your eyes, Bella."

Bella sighed still sitting sideways on Edward's lap. She settled her head against hiss arm. Her eyes slowly closed, as he brushed his lips against her temple.

"That's it, relax."

Bella couldn't help but laugh out loud. "That's kind of hard to do when you're touching me, Edward."

"The feeling is mutual, but since we can't kiss, all you have to do is relax and feel."

Bella shivered, his voice fluttering over her already sensitive skin. Delicate sweeps of his lips soon followed, so whisper soft, she wasn't sure they were real. Not until he sighed, his mouth hovering over hers. She wanted to open her eyes.

"Keep them closed, Bella. When I make you come, I want you to see me and not the face I'm wearing."

Bella clenched her eyes, envisioning Edward's face. The smiles and smirks she'd come to love since they met. "I do see you."

"Good, because it's me fucking you with my fingers, not some character." His words were harsher, and she had a feeling there was more to his statement. She'd have to ask him later about it.

"I only see you." Her right hand settled on his chest, over his heart. She felt it pound in his chest, her fist gripping the fabric beneath when his fingers slipped into her underwear. "Edward."

Bella's bones seemed to melt under his touch, her thighs spreading wider. She felt his hum of appreciation against her cheek, his lips still lingering and sending a jolt between her thighs. Her body arched within his hold, eliciting mutual groans.

"So fucking warm," Edward whispered, his mouth now brushing along her forehead. Goosebumps spread down the inside of her thighs and everywhere they were connected.

Bella gasped as the tip of finger circled her clit, while his pinky traced the letter E along her thigh. "You're marking me," she gasped, her eyes rolling back.

"Fuck yes I am," Edward murmured, his edge of his teeth teasing her ear. "The way you look today, I need to."

She moaned as two of his fingers slipped inside her, just enough to give her taste of what was to come. "Stop teasing me." She wasn't above pleading at the moment. Since the shower they shared earlier, she'd been a walking bundle of nerves and hormones. "Edward." Her voice was breathy, higher in pitch. She should have been embarrassed, but Edward's fingers were inside her.

She didn't give a fuck.

Bella wiggled on his lap, knowing what lay beneath her ass. Edward's answering groan made her smile, and he retaliated with a hard thrust of his fingers. She cried out, her hips grinding against him.

Edward bit lightly into her shoulder, his fingers frozen inside her. "Stop that, Bella," he threatened, his voice rough against her ear. "Or I will."

Bella shivered once again. It was so hard not to move and allow him to take over. She moaned as his fingers started to move once again.

"Just feel."

She did as he asked, holding onto his sweater with one hand while the other teased her nipples.

"Pinch them harder," he demanded roughly, his fingers matching the same tempo of the circular motion of hers. "Fuck, let me see."

Bella nodded, quickly working her top higher up her chest.

"No bra, fuck!" Edward's fingers thrust harder, faster as the heel of his palm ground against her clit. "Keep going, Bella."

She raised her hands to her breasts, cupping them and pinching her nipples between her fingers.

Edward hissed and groaned. "God, you're fucking beautiful. You're close, aren't you, Bella?"

Bella nodded, her hips rolling slightly in tandem with his fingers. "Please, please, please."

"Do you hear how wet you are?"

Bella sucked in a breath, stilling long enough to listen. Hearing the sound, along with Edward's labored breathing and the motion of his fingers, she simply shattered. She fell apart with a shout of his name.

Light splintered, harsh and unforgiving across her vision. She heard Edward whispering her name, his fingers moving along her upper thigh.

"I think it's a good thing we're waiting until tomorrow night." Edward chuckled, peppering small kisses along her forehead and cheek. "You're a screamer."

She wasn't even sorry. "Yeah, I am."

.

.

.

After retouching Edward's makeup and Bella's hair, they agreed to go downstairs for a few hours and have dinner before they headed back to the beach house. It was the first day, and though the convention was in full swing, the big name panels they wanted to attend wouldn't start for two days. It gave them plenty of time to explore the convention and San Diego together.

"How long do you estimate I'll be able to stay in the Winter Soldier costume tomorrow?" Edward asked, as they rode the elevator down, they'd encountered two storm troopers, Superman, and Batman on the ride.

They exited following the latter two, not surprised to find that the hotel lobby had considerably more people inside. Edward recognized a few writers from his old television series, and almost walked over until he realized they wouldn't know it was him.

"I'm not sure, it's over six pounds. It doesn't sound like a lot, I know, but it can be, since it doesn't bend. You can try to take the weight off your shoulder by simply shifting, but it would be minimal. That's why tomorrow is important, we'll get you dressed in that costume back at the house, and we'll see how long you'll last. If it gets to be too much, we can dress like this again."

"Good idea. How long are we supposed to be here for the Marvel panels?"

"Probably all day." Bella steered him toward another wide hallway. "I have Vision and Scarlett Witch's battle costumes, too."

Edward stopped her, caging her against a wall, not giving a fuck about all the people around them. "Three costumes?"

She smiled up at him, shrugging. "I want this to work." She tugged on his sweater, biting her lip. "A lot."

His finger swept long her bottom lip, tugging enough for her to release it from her teeth. "So far so good, Bella." He leaned closer, kissing her cheek and resting his forehead on her shoulder. "And Bella?"

Her arms wrapped around his waist, holding him tight. "Yes?"

"I don't care anymore. Even if they found out right now who I was, I wouldn't care. I want you, and not just for a quick fuck."

"Oh God," Bella whispered, her body once again melting within his hold. "Do you know how long I've been waiting for you to say that?"

He pulled back, his brow tight with concern. "Say what?"

She shrugged. "That even if you're exposed during all of this, you'd still want to be with me."

He sighed and squeezed her tight. "God, I'm asshole for making you think I'd give you up if this didn't work."

"I hoped that even if something happened and people realized who you were, that you wouldn't go anywhere. You hinted at it, but never actually said the words. Sometimes, things are out of our hands, our control." Her eyes narrowed in on something over Edward's shoulder. "Like the fact that DarkMonster that is walking toward us."

Edward stilled and growled against her cheek, holding her tight against him. "The ultimate test."

* * *

 **AN: At least someone got off, lol. Quick note, I'm going off some of the events that happened in last year's San Diego Comic Con. Also, I'm using videos that I watched of it to inspire the rest of the event, but I'm not following it exactly. Thanks to Dawnie aka kyla713 for your help with this chapter, I know it wasn't easy. I'm such a pain in the ass, I know.**


	22. Chapter 22

**Incognito—Chapter Twenty-Two**

* * *

"Normally, I'd say relax and be yourself, but in this case," she said, pulling back and plastering a fake smile on her face. "Be someone else."

"Do you know him personally?" Edward knew that DarkMonster was, in essence, a professional stalker of the stars. He somehow knew where his favorites wined and dined, and usually before the paparazzi even found out.

Bella nodded. "He is the fan club president of several actors and actresses, as you well know. And he's been a _fan_ of my work for a long time."

The way she said the word "fan" suggested DarkMonster was either a hater or obsessed asshole to her.

"Please tell me you're joking." Edward nearly groaned, but kept a somewhat neutral expression. He had to or else James aka Darkmonster would know it was him under all the makeup and hair cap.

James once told Edward he had one of the most recognizable smiles he'd ever seen.

"Nope, relax. Let me handle this. Don't keep too quiet if he asks questions, because that will instantly put him on alert."

"He's checking out your ass," Edward hissed, his hand settling on the small of her back. "How does he manage to take hundreds of photos with various stars and always have the same exact smile?"

Bella looked up at him, all wide-eyed and bursting with the need to laugh. "Right! I thought the same thing!"

He pressed his forehead against hers, brushing his lips against her cheek. "Shh, he's almost here."

She hummed, practically snuggling against his chest. Edward wanted desperately to hold onto her tightly, but he wasn't sure why James felt the need to talk to Bella.

James made a point of checking her out from head to toe, lingering on her bare thighs. "Hello, Isabella. Overcharge anyone else lately?"

Bella huffed and looked over at James, smirking. "Hey, James, stalk anyone lately?"

James rolled his eyes, shrugged and nodded at the same time. "It pays the bills, something I'm sure you're well aware of."

"You mean Daddy pays the bill. How is the dear senator these days?"

James didn't even deny Bella's statement. Edward knew it was true, anyway. It wasn't a secret, and James practically advertised his father had all the connections. "Getting ready for reelection in 2018."

"Good luck with that," Edward said under his breath, catching the man's interest.

"Who is this tall drink of water?" James licked his lips and smacked them twice. "Your latest fuckboy, I assume."

Bella seemed quite collected as she coolly replied. "I see you're still bitter that I didn't give the scoop on Pitt all those years ago."

James appeared equally calm. "Or that you _cheated_ at Dragon Con Cosplay event three years ago, of course not."

Edward finally understood why there seemed to be some bad blood between Bella and his supposed biggest fan. James used to cosplay and competed a lot back in the day; he'd often come as his character at old conventions.

"I won fair and square," Bella said, waving her hand as if to shoo James away. If only it were that easy.

"I heard Sebastian Stan is not coming this year," James said, ignoring Bella and turning his full attention to Edward.

Edward did what he could to appear as natural as possible but stand a little differently from the way he usually would. Even his facial expressions changed slightly under James' scrutiny. He tried hard not to freeze under his attention.

He hadn't thought that someone might consider him to be another star. It wouldn't help in keeping the fans away if they thought he was Sebastian Stan, who actually played the Winter Soldier. Considering he was wearing that costume the following day, it wouldn't be a good thing if that was the case.

Bella continued with the small talk as if everything was perfectly fine. "Yeah, I heard, though the reason why is up for debate."

James smirked, one of those cocky, "I know a secret and you don't" kind that begged to be to slapped off.

"Anyway, since Bella has failed to introduce us, I'm James Spencer. And you are?" He held out his hand.

"This is my friend, Alec Winters."

Edward realized Bella worked well under pressure, she used his friend's name, the same one he used at the front desk of the hotel. He was one of the few friends he had that the media had no clue he had a connection to, ever. Edward had met him in college, at some random party, but they hadn't even been from the same school. They had remained friends ever since.

"Nice to meet you," Edward said, with a simple nod and stiff smile, still playing the part of Vision. He kept his handshake firm and quick, shaking off the need to wipe his hand on his pants. "My girlfriend was telling me that you also dabble with cosplay."

"Dabble!" James said, high pitched and upset. "I don't just dabble, I'm one of the best. I haven't competed in a while, but it's my comeback year."

"Where you find the time to stalk professionally and be one of the best cosplayers, I guess I'll never understand." Bella sighed deeply. "Oh wait, you don't make them yourself, you pay someone else to do it for you."

"Much like your boyfriend here," James hissed, stepping a bit too close to Bella.

Edward moved between them and looked James in the eyes. "Step away from her now." He felt some satisfaction at the fact that James, dressed to the nines as Bruce Wayne had to look up at him, and even more so when some fear filled his eyes.

"Bella, tell your guard dog I wouldn't touch a gray hair on your pretty little head."

"Gray!" Bella giggled. "You wish. Look, James, I don't have time to deal with your usual bullshit. Run along now while we check out the main floor." She waved, doing her best impression of a hair flip. "Oh, and I guess it's a good thing I'm not competing this year, or you'd be screwed."

"You always compete!" James actually seemed to be upset by the information. It made sense, in a way; the grand prize was always worth more if the competition was fierce.

Edward followed Bella's example, leaving James with a simple shrug and basic smile. He noticed how James' eyes narrowed, but it was obvious he didn't know who was under the makeup.

It was clear Bella was damn fucking good at her job, because if James Spencer had no idea who he was, then they shouldn't have a problem over the next few days. Catching up to Bella, he drew her close and kissed the top of her head. "You were amazing. If you had acted any differently toward him, he would've been suspicious, right?"

"Yeah. Sorry you had to see my bitchy side." She grinned. "Scared yet?"

He played along, shivering and earning a laugh in return. "Come on, I hope you're prepared to do some shopping." They already discussed he would repay her for everything the moment they returned to the beach house.

"Shopping at Comic Con?" Bella cackled and held up covered credit card she had attached to her lanyard. "You bet your gorgeous dimples I'm ready."

Edward cocked an eyebrow, making Bella giggle. It was strange to see Vision do such a thing. "I'm assuming you're talking about the dimples above my ass again."

She cheekily winked, but stopped him with a tug on his hand. Her eyes softened as he questioned if something was wrong. "You called me your girlfriend back there."

He bent down to press a kiss to her soft lips, smiling as she sighed. "Yes, I meant it."

She punched his shoulder. "You could've asked. I almost had a coronary back there."

Edward chuckled. "Will you ever react the way I expect you to?"

"As your girlfriend, it's my duty to keep you are your toes." She smiled at him, tugging him toward the amazing mayhem that was Comic Con.

"Holy shit!" Edward had only taken a peek at what was inside the main room earlier, too busy to take in the scope of how big the event was. In the past, he was usually escorted through a maze of doors and hallways. The panels were under bright lights with lines and rows of people, flashing camera keeping him from focusing on the number of fans attending. The only way he had figured out there was a lot was how loud fans were; their screams were deafening.

Large and small, every character known to man seemed to be in the room. Whether in cosplay form, action figures, comic books, huge gleaming posters, and various other forms. Edward couldn't figure out where to look—there was a lot to take in.

People filled every available space around the booths. It was elbow to elbow room, meaning there simply wasn't much.

"Shall we?" Bella asked, gesturing toward the first both upon entering on the right.

He nodded, letting her lead the way. She had to, since he was too busy looking at everything.

.

.

.

"There are so many tits here." Bella walked beside Edward, eyeballing a female Thor. "As if she'd dress like that in battle."

"Those are the ones that have lines to take photos with, too." Edward shook his head, a woman dressed as Harley Quinn from Suicide Squad made the costume even more revealing.

"You're kind of awesome." Bella bumped his shoulder with hers. "You kept your cool while people took photos with us."

"It wasn't easy." It didn't take long after walking onto the main floor for people to stop them, asking for a picture. It was rather fun with Bella beside him, except for a few over-friendly women and men that thought it was appropriate to rub up against them. It was one of the many things he still wasn't used to as a celebrity.

"Okay, we have the first aisle down and we already have about five bags each." Bella did some rearranging, shifting two of her bags to her other hand. "We should try to get as much shopping done today as we can. Tomorrow, with your metal arm, there's no way I can carry all of our stuff."

Edward agreed and decided to go through a few more aisle then head upstairs to unload their belongings. They were both a little hungry, but wanted to get as much done as possible. Halfway through the third aisle, while Bella considered some Games of Thrones figures, a familiar face caught Edward's attention.

"Yondu and Rocket have been following us for a while." Edward kept close, in case it was a couple of creepers.

"That's Jake and Seth."

"Seth joined him?" Edward's voice cracked a little, hoping their trip wouldn't be cut short. He knew Seth worked for Bella and loved Hollywood gossip.

"Relax, baby." Bella's soft voice eased some the tension that took place on his shoulders. "Seth hasn't figured out who are you. Jake told him he was there to keep an eye on me since I had some trouble the last time I came."

"Wait? What kind of trouble?"

Bella blushed and avoided his eyes. "I may have hit some asshole in the balls for putting a hand on my ass during a photo op. Security started to escort me out, but a bunch of people stood up for me." She shrugged. "Jake's being his usual protective self."

"Are you saying that if I wasn't here, he'd still be here?"

"Yes, of course." She went back to look at the action figures.

"Then why did the fucker ask for overtime this week?" Edward scowled toward Yondu, and the blue-skinned asshole laughed as if he read his mind.

"Why would he need over time?" someone asked him, making Bella and Edward freeze.

They turned and came face to face of the young Vision fan they met earlier, Simon, and his parents. Edward replied easily. "Yondu is a Ravager, he's always looking to get paid."

Simon nodded. "You are right. He's going to be in Infinity Wars, right?"

Edward had no idea and from the look on Bella's face, she had no clue either. He chose to go with the standard non-answer he learned since his career took off, but in Vision form.

"I am not at liberty to discuss it."

Simon's mother, a blue eyed, petite woman with rainbow hair, dressed in a fan made Vision and Wanda t-shirt and jeans simply gaped at them. "This is like a dream come true," she practically cried, holding onto her husband for support. "The fact that you're wearing their everyday clothes makes this even better. I've never seen that and we've been to a lot of conventions."

Simon jumped in, fisting both hands in the air. "A lot of conventions. It's so cool."

Krystel nervously cleared her throat. "I know this is a lot to ask, but can we do like a mini photo shoot today?"

"Honey," her husband said, shaking his head but smiling. "You have to forgive my wife. She's a fan."

"I heard from Simon that you write Scarlet/Vision fanfiction." Bella was already in character, accent practically perfect, winking as Simon giggled.

"Oh my God." The woman was a sweetheart, blushing and nodding. "I'm Scarvi on AO3. Can I have a picture please?"

"We were planning on heading back to the room. Why don't we go out to the hall?" Edward suggested—it was time to go. His contacts were starting to burn.

Simon and his parents joined him, chatting away about everything he'd seen that day and holding onto Bella and Edward's hands. They took their time on the way out, stopping at several booths that caught Simon's attention. Bella spoke with his parents, waving her arms around as they discussed the new Marvel movie. They had to find a suitable place to take photos without so many people around, which seemed impossible. Outside the doors, the hallway was filled with other people cosplaying, many of them with lines of fans, waiting to take photos.

When a kid and a group of teenage boys pointed them out, Edward and Bella looked at each other. It was clear it would be a while before they'd have the chance to head up to their hotel room. It was as shame, because they were starving, and not just for food.

* * *

 **AN: I know, I know, this chapter was mostly filler. It sets up upcoming events. Okay, I have a favor to ask, I need things you'd say to them as if they could actually hear you, you never know they might ;) Thanks to kyla713 for clean up duty, I messed with it, so any mistakes are mine. See you all soon.**


	23. Chapter 23

**Incognito**

 **Chapter Twenty-Three**

* * *

The walk through the hallway outside the main area for Comic-Con was as chaotic and halfway packed to capacity as the booth-filled room. Edward had as much of a hard time focusing on one thing as he had inside. Heroes and villains from every genre seemed to be everywhere. Some Marvel characters gravitated toward others from their universe, while staying away from DC—the old rivalry making itself known on the floor.

The moment Edward and Bella stood aside near a wall for a mini photoshoot for Simon's mother, a line started to form to take photos with them, too. Simon and his parents had long since left them, apologizing profusely for taking up their time.

Edward and Bella didn't mind, though, enjoying their time together.

"This is so strange," Edward murmured in Bella's ear. She shivered delightfully in his hold, his arm around her waist. "If they only knew who I was."

"Not sure if they'd be disappointed or delighted," Bella teased him, making him smile.

Edward was well aware he had a legion of haters; it didn't bother him in the least in the past. Now, he wasn't so sure. Would they take their hate out on Bella once their relationship became public? He thought she was more than strong enough, but hated that she would have to deal with it, just to be with him.

Going public would have to wait a while; he wanted to enjoy their time together before media and _stans_ went apeshit about them.

The picture line started to dwindle an hour after setting up. Edward and Bella started to gather their things, realizing they bought too much stuff. Bella started to laugh, teasing him about all the new action figures he just _had_ to buy. Until he reminded her of the sheer number of Pops she bought.

Seth jogged over and smiled up at Edward, holding out his hand, while Jake was still inside finishing up with a purchase. "Nice to meet you, the mysterious boyfriend I'm not allowed to know about. Let me give you two a hand."

Bella groaned. "Seth, please. I said you'd know when or if we're ever ready."

Seth rolled his eyes, leaning toward them to whisper. "Please, you think I'm not aware that it's someone famous under all the makeup." He stood back, tiptoeing to look at the work on Edward's face. "If I didn't know Paul Bettany was across the country, I'd say I was talking to him. Boss, you need to get off the blacklist because of that dick producer, because your work is too damn good not to share."

Amused, Edward shook Seth's hand. "I simply asked her to keep my identity a secret so I could enjoy my weekend here. Can I trust you as I trust her?"

Seth pursed his lips and shook his head, forming a heart with his hands. "Trust, is that what you're calling it?"

Bella hid her face against Edward's arm. "Seth, be serious. Just answer him."

Meanwhile, Edward wondered if Bella realized how much he felt for her if it was obvious to her friend. That was something they'd have to discuss soon. He wasn't the type to wait around or risk some kind of misunderstanding. He was too old for that shit.

Seth sighed dramatically, his Rocket costume exaggerating the expression even more. He swung his gun to rest on his shoulder, patted his tactical vest with a fist, and swore he wouldn't tell a soul.

If Bella trusted Seth, he was sure he could as well. "I'll give you a hint." Edward leaned closer to Seth. "Jake works for me." There was a handful of stars and politicians Jake worked for; it shouldn't take Seth too long to figure it out.

It didn't.

Seth's mouth dropped open, whispering, "Oh my fucking…" Seth froze just as Jake joined them, also laden with merchandise and a rolling cart.

"Here are your keys for the house and car, get your asses back to the beach house. We'll take your stuff upstairs." Jake dropped the keys in Edward's hand and a hotel keycard in his pocket.

"Are you sure?" Bella asked, looking at the cart with over a dozen bags as they headed to the lobby. More stuff was on the way up to the room, too. "Were you able to get a hotel room?"

Jake shook his head. "Are you kidding, at these rates? And with only three weeks' notice during Comic-Con?"

Bella laughed, flicking the keycard that either Seth or Jake had slipped from her pocket. "Since obviously, you can already get into our suite, you two can stay there. We'll be here first thing in the morning to get dressed."

"How are we sneaking me back inside the hotel tomorrow?" Edward looked around. There were too many eyes and he knew that the chances of sneaking in with just a ballcap and a jacket up around to his ears would not be enough.

"Your Winter Soldier and Loki costumes are inside the trunk of the car, along with the makeup you need for them." Seth rubbed his hands together. "Tomorrow is going to be epic. Can't wait to see the reactions you two are going to get."

"You two thought of everything," Bella said, hugging both of them, making them blush with her attention.

"Seriously, guys, thanks. We owe you one." Edward shook their hands and grabbed Bella's, ready to leave.

"One? Blasphemy, try about ten." Jake rolled his eyes before loading up the cart.

"Hey, I left condoms in the glove compartment!" Seth called out, laughing as Edward made a beeline for the front exit.

Bella had to run or else Edward would've been dragging her. He slipped the valet a hundred-dollar bill, whispering something she couldn't catch.

"Someone's in a hurry." She playfully bumped into his shoulder "I wonder why?"

Edward cleared his throat, not an ounce of shame about how desperate he was to get Bella alone. He looked down at her, pulling her close. "For hours, as we walked around the booths, I saw and experienced it all in a way I'd never been able to do. You're the reason I'm here, this freedom, that's something I don't think I can ever repay. I'm so damn thankful I met you, Bella."

Overwhelmed by his words, she settled her head on his chest, wrapping her arms around him.

"I want to show you how thankful I am." Edward's whispered words were delivered a mere centimeter from her ear, she felt the breath of them against her skin.

She nodded, unable to find any words.

Someone cleared his throat, catching their attention. The valet, a young man in his early twenties handed Edward the keys.

Edward slipped him another hundred, taking the keys and helping Bella inside the car. Once behind the wheel, he took off, determined to make the drive to the house in record time.

"What did you mean you by 'showing me'?" Bella had to ask because her mind was still stuck on what he said about meeting her.

Edwards smirked and laughed. "What am I about to say is going to earn me a permanent geek card."

"Oh, this is going to be good. Tell me."

Open and honest was the only way their relationship had a chance of surviving in Hollywood. "For the last few hours or so, I swear I heard about a hundred voices in my head."

Bella looked shocked for a moment, then started laughing hard. "Oh my God, same here! I felt like we were in some fanfiction or TV episode, and that people were yelling at their screens."

"That's exactly like it feels." Edward shook his head, smiling that they were on the same page. "One voice said, _'just do it already'._ "

Bella's smile was huge, warming Edward up as he merged onto the freeway. "Someone screamed in my head, _'just swing her onto your shoulder and finish her'_!"

"Nice," Edward snorted, glad she wasn't making fun of him. For a few minutes, neither said a word, each of them wondering what the other was thinking.

"What do you think?" Bella asked, facing him and sliding a fingertip down his arm.

Edward swallowed hard when he saw the look in her eyes. "Think about what?"

She rolled her eyes. "About throwing me over your shoulder and finishing me?"

Edward stepping on the gas hard, was answer enough.

.

.

.

* * *

"I swear my friends are assholes," Edward grumbled as he stepped in the house. A care package awaited them, consisting of condoms, a book on Kama Sutra and body oils, courtesy of Jasper, Alec, and Dylan.

"Oh, I don't know," Bella hummed, plucking out a bottle of body oil. "I'm pretty damn good with my hands."

Edward locked the door behind them, tugging her to his chest and humming in appreciation. "I'm aware of your very good hands. Right now, though, I want something else."

She looked up at him, rubbing his still red lips. "A shower?"

He playfully protested that they had to wait to get the makeup off, but she was right. Movie makeup didn't taste very good and the skin cap he wore was itchy. "A shower then." His lips started to form into a mischievous grin as he stepped back, grabbing one of her hands and tucking his head against her side as he hoisted her on his shoulder.

Bella slapped his ass, dropping the body oil and laughing at his enthusiasm. They already had the birth control talk on the drive over, and he trusted her to forgo condoms. His people would have a heart attack for it if they knew, but he didn't give a fuck. It wasn't like he shared that kind of information with them anyway, it was between him and Bella. He wanted nothing between them, he trusted her, end of fucking story.

It didn't take long for the bathroom suite to fill with steam as they helped each other out of their costumes. Edward's hair was dark with sweat from the skin cap he wore. Bella stated they had to be careful with the costumes since they had to use them again. He headed to the bedroom to put everything away as she stepped into the shower.

When he returned, he watched as water swept over Bella's curves, her head tilted back, her hands running through her hair. He was one lucky bastard because he somehow earned the right to be with her.

Seth was right; he didn't just trust her. He was falling hard for her.

He opened the shower stall and joined her, settling his still red hands on her hips. The contrast against her lightly sun-kissed skin was vast and a part of him found it erotic. He traced shapes along her sides, watching his fingertips mark her as the makeup started to rub away onto her skin.

Bella moaned his name softly, her lashes fluttering as she finally looked into his eyes. They were a dark hunter green, the slight redness from the contact lenses he removed did nothing to diminish the desire in them.

The desire for her.

Bella's hands slid up his arms, making him groan, welcoming her touch. She shifted until he was the one under most of the shower sprays. He watched her with those incredible eyes as she worked up a lather between her hands, forgoing a washcloth. She wanted to explore him as she had dreamed about for weeks since meeting him.

A few make-out sessions and a shower together weren't enough—she wanted more.

She couldn't believe they were finally there in that moment together. No more delays; there was no reason to walk away.

 _No pressure,_ she thought.

A little voice in her head said it was a hundred times meaningful than their first kiss. They'd come a long way, deeper emotions were involved, at least for her. _No_ , she shook her head, she knew he felt something other than lust for her. She needed to focus on the moment and not the "whys".

Bella took one of his hands in hers, slowly working to remove the makeup with some wipes she brought and then some soap and solution. She stroked each of his fingers, the makeup washing away under her touch and the water.

She felt him watching her, his shoulders tense with the restraint. He wanted to touch her, that much she could tell. She pointed to the tiled bench as she directed some of the shower sprays toward him. He sat down, holding onto her hips the moment she stepped between his thighs.

He looked up at her with desire-filled eyes and she gently washed his face. Her thumbs brushed along his jawline, his forehead and cheeks, leaving his lips for last. She traced around his mouth, memorizing the shape to the best of her ability. As if she could ever forget them.

She moaned as his hands drifted from her hips to her ass, silently telling her to give him more of her touch. Instead, she took a step back and brought him to his feet. She directed him under the largest showerhead.

Edward's control was slipping as he lifted his hands to his face to give it one last rub down, free of makeup. The moment he stopped, he looked down her. "Any chance your hand and face washing skills are good for the rest of me?"

She seemed unsure, but Edward caught the glint her eyes and the naughty tilt of her sweet mouth. "I guess there's one way to find out." She stepped closer, raising her hands and put them work.

Soft groans and grunts fell from Edward's lips, and though he felt sort of embarrassed by the sounds, he couldn't help himself. She avoided his cock but paid special attention to his chest, nipples, and thighs. Her hands were soft and gentle, pressing a little harder at certain points to drive him crazy.

"Turn around." She didn't put her hands back on him until he complied, and when she did, her touch was harder, stroking his skin along his spine, exploring the dimples she said she loved so much.

"Bella," Edward whispered, his hands using the tiled wall for support. He wanted to take his time with her, but she was making it increasingly difficult to think with anything other than his dick. He watched as her fingers rubbed down his chest, suds washing away under her palms. The image would forever be imprinted behind his eyes every time he took a shower. "Fuck me."

"Soon," she murmured, pressing her chest closer to his back. Her hands stroked him, forcing his eyes to roll back. "Let me take care of you."

Edward shook his head, trying to dispel some of the desire-riddled fog she put him in. His hand joined her and he made the mistake of looking at their fingers wrapped around his length. Curses spat from his lips, each of them working together to make him fucking crazy.

It took monumental strength to pull her hand off him, and before she could protest, he had her pushed up against the tiles. She moaned, her nails biting into his shoulders.

"My turn." He could barely manage the words, watching her as he shakily grabbed a bottle of body wash. It was only fair to turn the tables on her, to tease her as she had done to him. He hadn't missed the way she would lean up against him all day, or how she'd brush her fingers or her hips along his when she reached for some merchandise. The whole fucking day was foreplay—or hell, since they met.

The problem was Bella's patience was running out and he knew it.

His soapy, slippery hands worked her shoulders and she was glaring at him and working hard to keep it up.

"Edward, if you don't take me in the next ten seconds, I'm going to sink on my knees and…"

He covered her mouth with his, grunting and cursing her name. "This wasn't supposed to be a quick fuck."

She rolled her eyes and draped her arms over his shoulders, meeting his eyes. "Quick and hard sounds pretty fucking amazing to me. And who says it will only _a_ quick fuck? We have all night, right?"

His hands slid down her back, cupping her ass and bringing her that much closer to his chest. He hummed and nodded and found her logic fucking sound. This wasn't a one-time thing; he had all the time in the world.

Or for however long she would have him.

"Shower off," he said loud enough for the fancy shower system to hear. It stopped in less than a second, leaving Bella shivering and him in the need to keep her warm. "Come on." He pulled her up and nearly buckled when long legs wrapped around his waist. "Fucking hell, you're so wet."

She grinned cheekily. "It's not only because of the shower." He set her on the counter, making her yelp in surprise by the cold granite.

Edward grabbed a fluffy towel and wrapped her in it, rubbing her dry. "Are you sure, Bella?" He wasn't positive where the insecurity came from, but it was there. Because she meant something more to him than anyone else. "I come with so much bullshit and baggage."

"I'm well aware of that and I don't care." She shrugged, but her brow furrowed. "I know we'll have to keep it between us for as long as possible. I can live with that."

The problem was, Edward couldn't. He knew how much that shit put pressure on a couple in Hollywood, about as much as if everyone knew. It was a bullshit situation.

"I just killed the mood, didn't I?" Edward rested his forehead on her shoulder as she worked the towel over his chest and stomach.

"Not for me," she whispered in his ear, eliciting a sweet shiver to move through him. "Showing me this side of you means you trust me."

"I do, Bella."

She smiled, a soft little one that made his heart thump hard in his chest. Like she figured something out. "It means you care a lot about me to worry about what being with you may mean for me."

"So much, Bella." He looked at up at her, swallowing hard when he caught something in her eyes. "You have no idea."

She cocked her head to one side. "I think I do." She pressed her soft lips against his, sucking on his bottom one until he stroked her tongue with his.

He was the first to pull away, only to look at her. "I'm falling so hard for you."

She muttered something he couldn't catch, but her eyes did all the talking for her.

He cupped her face and kissed her cheek, his nose sliding along hers and whispered against her lips, "I know, baby."

She whimpered, nodding. At a loss for words, she kissed him with the same softness as before, but it quickly built up into something hotter.

The intensity threatened to send Edward to his knees, his body humming with anticipation. He wrapped one arm around her waist, pulling her off the counter and against his chest. She moaned, her skin erupting with tiny goosebumps.

Edward wasn't sure how, but he somehow managed to get them to fall into bed. She was beneath him and his mind seemed to check out for a bit. They rolled around in the massive bed for several minutes, each of them touching the other, whatever was within reach. Kissing, licking, and whispering promises for so much more.

She gasped as he sucked on the hollow of her throat, her thighs parted for him, his hand holding one of her knees high up his hip. A slight thrust of his cock against between her thighs had her moaning his name. He fucking loved the sound of it on her lips.

He went back for more of her mouth, loving the way she cupped his face when he kissed her. Her thumbs brushing his jaw, so intimate and seriously hot. Her body moved under his, her gorgeous legs wrapped around his calves in an attempt to pull him closer to where he wanted to be.

Deep inside her. Body and soul.

"Fuck it," he murmured against her mouth, gasping to breathe. Their eyes met and he said the one thing that blared in his head all week. "I'm going to love you for a long time, Bella."

There was something unspoken in his words, and of course, she completely understood what he wasn't saying. He barely understood it.

"I'm not going to break your heart, Edward, because I'm going to love you for just as long, too."

This time, he didn't know what to say. Maybe there was nothing else, at least at the moment. He kissed her again, loving the way she fit so damn perfectly against him. Her arms pulled him closer, her hands exploring his back in a way that made him groan for more.

He watched her as he slowly slid inside her, loving the way her breath caught, and her sigh of relief the moment his hip met hers. He cursed softly against her neck, pulling back and thrusting a little harder. Her name slipped from his lips, allowing himself a moment. It had been too long, the foreplay too damn good, and now he was on the brink.

He rested his forehead against hers and lifted his upper body and nearly fucking came at the sight of her flushed skin and her amazing breasts. Her nipples were tight, pink little things he wanted to taste with his tongue. "I'm about to embarrass myself if you keep doing that, baby," he moaned, as she tried to move under him. "Fuck, too good."

She laughed, not helping. "Keep going, Edward. Let me feel you. And trust me, there's plenty more after this."

"Yeah," he whispered and thrust harder than before, beating down the need to come. He tested his control with a swivel of his hips, grinding and making her hiss in pleasure. It was beautiful to watch and he needed to get her to do it more. With that in mind, he thrust and thrust, until her words were nothing more than incoherent mumbles, punctuated with an occasional "fuck" coming from her gorgeous mouth.

He couldn't get enough, and with that in mind, he rolled their bodies until she sat astride him, her eyes rolling closed in pleasure. His hands had the freedom he needed to touch her everywhere. They skimmed slowly up her thighs, circling her hips as she rolled them over his cock. Unable to resist, he brushed his thumb where they connected, watching her take him inside her.

"Fuck, Bella." He closed his eyes, trying not to let it end too soon. Her soft laugh made him choke out one of his own, her hips grinding down harder. His eyes snapped open to watch her hands run up his stomach and find purchase on his chest. She smiled down at him, her eyes soft and damn beautiful. "Come here, please." He wasn't above begging, because he needed her closer.

She kissed him, merely a tease of her reddened lips. She pressed deeper when he whispered her name, eliciting a harder roll of her hips. His hands rose to take hold of her beautiful face, finally getting his fingers in that satin-soft hair. She moaned as he took control of their kiss, one of his hands helping her move faster over him. She hissed as he sat up, moving her legs around her waist.

His hands roamed her body with extraordinary skill, needing to explore her. She rose slightly on her knees, deepening her strokes of his cock. His fingers tightened on her hips as he whispered between gasps all the things he wanted to do with her. "You're going to wake up in the morning with my mouth between your thighs."

She moaned.

"Would you like that, Bella?"

She nodded, unable to say anything other than his name.

He quickly laid her out before him, thrusting repeatedly until she cried out his name. His whole body thrummed with energy as he finally let go inside her. Her arms wrapped around him tightly, her fingers raking through his damp hair, whispering to him through his release.

Wrapped up in each other, they lay back on the bed, sated for the moment. Minutes passed, each of them still trying to catch their breath. They looked at each other and laughed.

"Did the voices stop for you, too?" Edward asked, brushing some of her hair from her face.

"Yes, thank God." She continued to laugh, soon humming as he brushed his lips against hers. "Now about this promise tomorrow morning, any chance I can wake up with your co—"

She didn't get a chance to finish, his lips crashing onto hers as he rolled her beneath him.


	24. Chapter 24

**Incognito**

 **Chapter Twenty-Four— Locky? Buoki?**

* * *

Edward cursed as he rolled over, seeking the warmth that had been a constant by his side all night. When he failed to find it, he shuffled toward the middle of the oversized bed and hummed when he finally made contact with soft, warm skin. The shape of Bella's hip felt perfectly curved in the palm of his large hand. She fit well against his body, having tested it many times during the previous night.

He groaned, shifting to accommodate the thickening of his cock. One would think after having her on just about every flat surface—horizontal and vertical—in the house, he'd be exhausted and sated. Yet, he craved her with an intensity that he simply failed to convey in his work. At least from his perspective.

It explained why his last performance with his co-star didn't feel believable to his critics—he had never felt _that_ way about anyone. Falling in love; he'd done it a couple of times in his lifetime, but never with the same passion, adoration, and deepening sense of happiness he felt with Bella. It was no wonder he hadn't been able to portray that in the characters he had played.

It wasn't the chemistry alone, either, although that was fucking explosive. No, he wanted to be wherever she was, listen to her talk about anything with enthusiasm, as she often did. Even sitting at home with her by his side sounded near perfect to him. Being naked would certainly help make it a hundred times better.

Edward's body responded further to his thoughts, his arm tightening around Bella's waist to pull her closer. His lips had explored every inch of her, tasting, nipping, and licking. She had a ticklish spot right where her waist dipped into her hip, one he had the pleasure to taste. That exploration led to a rather adventurous claiming on the back deck, that had started on a lounge chair and eventually ended on the ground, since it had collapsed under them.

He had no problem buying his friend new furniture, he thought, chuckling at the idea of trying to explain that one to him. Tucking his face into Bella's hair, he took a deep breath in the hopes to calm himself.

It had the reverse effect, since the woman always smelled damn good.

Edward needed her to wake up, and not only so they could continue where his dream left off—he wanted to talk to her. It felt off to keep their relationship a secret. He knew it would be tough either way, but he didn't want her to feel like she came second to his career. He'd give it all up for her.

 _That_ should've scared him and sent him running for the hills, but it didn't.

If they discussed coming out after Comic Con, it would mean they wouldn't be able to attend the following year. Well, at least not together. If anyone recognized her, fans would assume he would be standing beside her under masks or makeup.

"Next year," he whispered, realizing that he saw them together for over a year. Again, fear didn't claw at him as it had in previous relationships. It did send his heart racing, his mind equally intrigued by the idea.

He closed his eyes, picturing her with him six months from that moment, for Christmas. She'd be dressed in a naughty version of a Mrs. Santa Claus costume that he'd tear off her. Then he pictured them together at Comic Con the following year, keeping a low profile at a panel for one of his films. She'd be there to help him off the edge that usually came over him during those type of events. It wasn't hard to picture the following Christmas, that time with a ring on her finger and one on his, too.

"Oh fuck." He rubbed at his chest, wondering if he should be concerned that he wasn't having a panic attack yet. His last long-term relationship didn't even make it to the "I love yous" before he realized it had no future, and they'd been together for months.

"Mmm," Bella moaned softly in her sleep, slipping her hand over his on her hip. She moved it to her stomach and sighed, asleep once again.

The move triggered another vision of their future—Bella pregnant with his baby. The thought scared him, but not for the reasons it should. Raising a child in the limelight was hard, not only on the parents, but the children, too. He wasn't sure he could handle the paps without wanting to kill them with bare hands if they stepped too close or took an intrusive photo that frightened his child.

His hand tightened on Bella's stomach, making her stir. Anger coursed through him at the thought of those vultures near their children.

 _Fuck, fuck, fuck. Don't go there, man. Not yet._

"I thought you were going to wake me up with your mouth…" Bella whispered, her voice still sleepy.

Edward didn't give her a chance to finish, rolling her beneath him, in desperate need to distract himself.

She smiled up at him, rich brown eyes staring at him like he meant everything to her. The way her lips stretched wider meant she saw the same reflected in his eyes. "Well?" she said, her brow tightening in confusion. Her fingers traced his jaw, her thumb rubbing along his bottom lip. "Are you all right?"

Edward leaned closer, his lips learning the shape of her cheek. "Never better. Now, I have a promise to keep."

Bella moaned as Edward's mouth and tongue explored every curve and dip until he reached between her thighs. Her fingers curled into his hair as he kissed and sucked, humming every time she gasped or whimpered. He didn't let her come until he was good and ready, when she was writhing under the languid swipes of his tongue. Her fingers tugged as he finally let her dive off the edge, his name on her lips.

Gasping and barely coherent, she whispered, "Best wake up call ever."

Edward laughed, his worries disappearing for the moment in the fiery desire between them. She pulled him in for a kiss, not at all bothered with the taste on his tongue; she only moaned into his mouth. Soon, they rolled under she sat astride him, her lips leaving him groaning and cursing until she took his length between her lips and reminding him that he liked when she took control.

For now.

.

.

.

"Edward!" Bella called from the bathroom as he put their breakfast sandwiches together. "I'm done, come take a look."

"Be right there." Edward grinned, grabbing the face cover for his Winter Solider costume and his phone. He intended to take some photos of them together to share with the few people he trusted, including Jake and Seth.

They thought it was best for her to get dressed on her own since he kept trying to take the clothes _off_ her. It wasn't his fault; Bella looked sexy as hell in dark green and black leather. He shivered at the thought of taking every article of clothing off her once they returned from Comic Con.

In all honesty, he was fine with remaining at the beach house for the day since the big panels they wanted to attend weren't until the following day. However, Bella was trying her hand at drawing manga and different types of graphic novel content. For the moment, it was only a hobby, but she did enjoy it and was interested in attending a few graphic illustrators' panels.

He wasn't an asshole, contrary to some obsessive fans wanted to believe.

"Why are you shaking your head?" Bella asked, leaning against a wood column.

"I never understood why some 'fans'," he used the hand gesture for quotations, "want to believe I'm a complete asshole and manwhore." He shrugged, placing her food at the end of the kitchen island. "But who gives a fuck about stupid shit when you're in the room." He pulled her closer, humming when her arms came around him. "You look incredible."

The faux gold chest plate she wore over the green and black tunic molded to her body to perfection, hinting at the curves underneath. Curves he had already explored and wanted to do again.

Bella started to giggle, not that he blamed her, since his hands were on her ass. He playfully hung his head in shame and pouted, but winked as he helped her take a seat on a barstool to eat. They discussed the game plan, since they still had booths to check out, the two panels Bella wanted to attend, and they set up a time to stay just outside of the main room to take photos. A group already contacted Bella about taking photos with other Marvel characters. She did tell them that they were attending today as a gender flipped Loki and the Winter Soldier, and they were eager to see her creations.

"I like the hair," Edward murmured, running his fingers along the bottom edge of it across her shoulders.

She smirked. "I didn't cut it, relax. It's just styled in a way to look shorter."

Sheepishly, Edward drew an imaginary halo around his head. "Sorry, you know I like to pull your hair."

She moaned, then sent him a withering glare. "Why did you have to put that in my head? We don't have time to explore that right now!"

Edward chuckled periodically as Bella continued to stew over her frayed nerves and push him away whenever he tried to touch her. "I never said I play fair."

Bella cocked an eyebrow, and something in her eyes had Edward leaning away. "Is that what you want to play? How much we can handle before one of us gives in and begs?"

"These pants are pretty snug and the material is tough. I'll be just fine."

Famous last words.

.

.

.

"Did you see how many people turned when we walked in?" Bella shook her head, holding up her chin high. Her hand ran over the etched detail she added to her chest plate, grateful that Seth had finished it while she added the finishing touches to Edward's Winter Soldier costume.

"Get used to it." Edward kept her tucked by his side without actually touching her, remaining in character. Bella looked at him questionably, and he realized they hadn't had time to discuss their future. "Later." He tipped his head up as James aka DarkMonster stalked toward him in a Star Lord costume. It wasn't movie quality, but did look well made.

"Why can't we catch a break?" Bella rolled her eyes and plastered a smile for the little shit.

Edward knew he should feel grateful, and at first, he _had_ been, since DarkMonster's social media outreach helped put his face out there. His fanbase grew by leaps and bounds in the first few months after the show started, but now, James spent most of his time being as intrusive and creepy as paparazzi.

"James," Bella said dismissively, looking bored, much like Loki's lovable character. She turned toward Edward, making sure his face mask that covered his chin and jaw were firmly in place. Her lips pursed, her eyes hardening as she said in perfect Russian, "Come, we must depart and leave this wretched human here."

Edward responded without words, not quite ready to talk in front of James. He once played a character that spoke Russian, and there was a chance his "biggest fan" would recognize his speech patterns or tone. He wasn't taking any chances. He simply jerked a small nod and stood at attention.

"See you later, James." Bella sent a wave over her shoulder, not looking back. Still looking straight ahead, she pulled out a compact mirror and they watched as James took a photo of their retreating figures. "Fuck. Let's hope your ass isn't that recognizable in those pants."

Edward groaned and fell out of character to glare at her. "I'm never going to live down the fact that my ass has a mold somewhere out there, am I?" It was for a film, but he had found out that someone on the set had stolen the mold.

"Not in this decade." She bumped his shoulder, smiling at him. "You didn't talk?"

"I've been practicing the phrases we discussed earlier, but James could've recognized my voice since I did play a character who spoke Russian before."

"That's right, in _Worse Ways to Die._ " She shuddered then shivered. "He was an awful man, but damn, did you play him well."

It was one of the few roles he'd earned several accolades for, but hearing praise from her made him feel taller. "Let's drop it before someone overhears us or my head gets too big for the room."

Bella giggled. "As opposed to the other head growing bigger." She walked ahead of him, enough to give him one hell of a view of her perfect ass in black suede.

"Why did I agree to play this game?" Edward asked himself, making sure he wasn't giving someone an eyeful of his bigger head. He'd been right, the material of his pants kept him _contained_ , for the moment.

Bella looked at him over his shoulder, cocking an eyebrow and smirking. "Coming?"

"Not yet," he hissed in her ear when he reached her, turning her to face him. He leaned a little closer, his fingers swirling patterns on the small of her back, and gave her a look that seemed to daze her. Anything to help level the playing field, and besides, she never said touching was off the table. "You're beautiful when you tease me." She didn't have to say a word for him to realize she knew what she was doing to him, and she'd use it to her advantage. Leaning closer, he whispered in her ear, "You're killing me, Bella." The soft moan on her lips shredded what little control he had left. Not giving a fuck, he tossed the chin cover and slanted his mouth over hers.

She gave as good as she got, tugging on his hair and sliding her tongue along his lips when he had to take a deep breath.

"What the fuck?" Someone yelled nearby.

Bella and Edward startled and turned to find a man dressed as Captain America glaring at them. "Loki and Bucky!" He waved his shield around, shaking his head. "That's just _so_ wrong!"

One of the women he was with laughed. "Would that be Locky or Buoki?"

Edward held Bella close, chuckling against her hair as a few people took photos. Not too far away was someone dressed as Darth Vader with a stormtrooper at his side, they saluted, Jacob and Seth.

If trouble arose, they would help, but hopefully, it wouldn't come to that as the day progressed. He wanted to enjoy his day with Bella, even if he had to endure blue balls from hell.

* * *

 **AN: The blending of names is hard for me, Locky? lol. I hope you all enjoyed it. I have my doubts that I'll be able to update anything over the next week since the holidays are almost upon us and between me being busy, so are my betas. Once Christmas is over, I'll have a little more time. So just in case, I wanted to wish everyone Happy Holidays, I hope you and yours a wonderful time. Thank you for your amazing support and another incredible year, and I'm looking forward to another.**


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter Twenty-Five**

* * *

Edward slipped back into character, turning away from Bella in a swift and slightly stiff manner that he'd often seen soldiers do. He found the mask on the floor a few steps away and put it on, and shifted into position to show he was awaiting orders.

It took Bella a little longer to come back to herself, having to shake away the lust Edward's kiss had elicited. _Damn him,_ she thought. He was so going to win if he kept kissing her like that, especially in front of others. She hadn't expected that, at all.

It was something they should probably discuss. Was he okay with PDA? She tried to remember what he was like while dating that one actress, Giana-something. Then again, that only made an unwelcome emotion rise to the surface—jealously. It was rather strange to deal with it; she'd rarely, if at all, experienced it in other relationships.

Catching sight of Jake making his way toward them, she tipped her chin and shook her head. They were okay, and if Jake made a scene, they'd risk exposing Edward. She turned away from her friend and looked at Edward with a neutral expression. She uttered The Winter Soldier's code words that they'd discovered in the latest film. With every word that passed through her lips, Edward agitation became clearer, his weapon at the ready by the time she said the last of the code words.

He looked fucking amazing, brilliant. If it wasn't for the fact that Sebastian Stan was out of town, she'd believe she was standing right beside him. Edward added a touch of himself into the character, his eyes scanning the room for any potential threats.

A growl emitted from his lips when he spotted someone dressed as Captain America, something they had discussed he'd do to any Avenger. It was all in fun and to help him remain in character while they were surrounded by so many people.

A small group started to form around them, including the Marvel group that wanted to take pictures later that day. She motioned for them to come closer and introduced herself but kept using Bucky instead of Edward, also as they agreed.

A sweet woman named April dressed as Natasha leaned closer. "Rumors are already spreading about you two. They think it's Seb under the costume." April showed her a tweet from the infamous DarkMonster.

Edward tensed by Bella and cursed under his breath. It was one thing to be exposed as himself, but to be taken for someone else wouldn't be any better. There were hundreds of people dressed as Marvel characters; he had no doubt word got around quickly there.

"Last I heard was that Seb wasn't feeling well and would not be attending tomorrow." Bella tried to appear as if nothing was wrong, even shrugging. "Trust me, if Sebastian Stan was standing right by me, do you think I'd be here instead of upstairs?" She threw her head back as she laughed, the others joining in, too.

Edward couldn't help but feel a flash of jealously at Bella's words, even though he knew she was just trying to defuse the situation. Then again, she already mentioned she was a huge fan of the man; he even thought they may know each other.

They agreed to meet in a few hours for photos and went their separate ways. The minute they were out of hearing range from most people, Edward took advantage of a nearby alcove and gently pushed her against the wall.

Edward tucked his face mask in his pocket and pulled her close. "I'm not sure how I feel about what you said." His lips trekked up Bella's slender neck and bit her earlobe, earning a tiny yelp. "You'd be upstairs if Sebastian was under the costume, but not me?"

She looked at him, a smile on her lips. A teasing one. "Trust me, if we could, I'd take you upstairs and find out if you can stay in character with your cock in my mouth."

Her words had him hardening against her stomach and groan rumbling in his chest. "That sounds like a challenge."

"Oh, it was, soldier."

He took her hand, ready to head upstairs to the suite they'd rented to take breaks. He knew Jake and Seth were staying in one of the bedrooms, but one of them had to be free.

"The panel starts in an hour!" She hissed and grabbed his mask, holding it up to him. "You promised."

He did and he also didn't want her to think this thing between them was all about sex. However, having had her, knowing what she felt like surrounding him, it wasn't enough. He needed her with an intensity he could barely understand.

He swallowed and nodded, resting his forehead on hers. "I'm sorry, I'm trying to overcome this…"

"You've never felt this way, have you?" She looked at him, answering the question on the tip of his tongue. Her fingers curled in his hair, along the back of his neck, not making it easier on him. "I haven't either, Edward. I never been so consumed by someone that all I want to do is let the rest of it go. We can do that, but we also have lives, babe. We'll just have to find balance until this newness wears off."

"I don't think it will."

She laughed and agreed out loud. "Do you have anything to do after this weekend?"

Edward mentally went over his schedule and knew the next couple of weeks were free, only a photoshoot was on the horizon in a month. He told her, and fuck, if she didn't smile so wide. "How about we seclude ourselves somewhere for a week after this?"

"How about two weeks?" He smiled down at her, pecking her lips a few times because he could. Plus, she was much too tempting when she looked at him like she was, as if he was everything to her. "Make that three?"

"Three weeks," she hummed, nodding. "I think I can delegate a few things and make that happen."

"Where should we go?" The thought of taking her to some beach, dressed in miniscule bikinis or nothing at all appealed to him. Then again, staying at his place, and just having her there did, too.

"Anywhere, as long as there's a bed, a full fridge and pantry, and a shower, I'm good."

"Fuck, I love that about you."

She seemed confused, her eyes softening after a moment. "I don't need some lavish, exotic vacation spot to enjoy my time with you. Or even spend a shit ton of money for us to have a good time."

"I'm figuring that out." He brushed his lips over hers and cleared his throat. "Let's go in there, visit this panel, then I'd very much like to take you up on your offer."

She cocked an eyebrow. "Does this mean you're going to break first?"

"Yes, and I have no problem with it, especially if it means your lips wrapped around me." He gave her a wink and smile before setting the mask in place. Taking in a deep breath, he was once again in character.

Bella loved how much Edward was willing to do something like this, but at the same time, she hated he couldn't be himself. She took another moment to gather herself, soon leading the way to the line for the manga panel. After several photos with others waiting in line, Bella showed Edward some of her work and they shared earbuds to watch one of her favorite anime shows. After a while, no one bothered them, allowing them to talk animatedly about some of their favorite comic book series.

Edward couldn't help the smile on his face, and thankfully, the mask covered it from prying eyes. Twice he'd seen Jake and Seth pass by, checking in with them to make sure everything was okay. Once inside the panel, Bella entertained him with quick drawings of body parts, his, during the Q&A. She paid particular attention his hands, fingers, and mouth.

He leaned toward her ear to whisper. "That's some incredible detail, baby." She gasped, as he had hoped. "Something tells me you're reliving a nice memory." She shivered. "Are you remembering what my lips felt against that spot on her neck?"

She nodded, her thighs rubbing against each other. "And other places."

"Yes, I particularly love this spot, right along your lower back." His hand dipped to the location, his thumb rubbing a small circle above the waistband of her leggings. "You're not the only one that loves dimples." Hers were incredible.

She exhaled sharply, checking the time on her phone—only ten minutes left in the panel. She gave him a look and gestured toward the exit. A few others seemed to have similar ideas to leave before it ended, and they were able to make their escape.

They had ninety minutes before they were supposed to meet up with the Marvel group to take photos. Edward hauled Bella against his side and practically ran to the elevators, and a deep chuckle made their steps falter.

Darth Vader cradled his stomach as the stormtrooper by his side laughed, too.

Edward and Bella stood side by side in the elevator. She leaned against his shoulder and they flipped off their so-called friends. The moment the doors closed and they were alone, Edward's mask fell off and he finally had her in his arms. He had no doubt she'd win the little game they were going to play upstairs. Could he remain in character when she put her mouth on him?

 _Hell no_. He knew that, but it was still a fun, sexy way to find out how long he could hold out.

* * *

 **AN: Thanks to kyla713 for helping me with the chapter. Comic Con will be wrapping up in the next chapter and soon the entire fic. I don't know how to feel about that, lol. I love them. Now, is DarkMonster going to cause them trouble before Comic Con comes to a close?**


	26. Chapter 26

**Incognito**

 **Chapter Twenty-Six**

* * *

Bella found it difficult to catch her breath after the workout Edward had given her and laughing only made it worse. The bed beneath her bounced as Edward turned to his side to glare at her.

"Stop laughing, woman!" Edward started to tickle her sides, straddling her body soon after. His smile was infectious, he looked so fucking happy. In all the years that Bella followed his career, it was rather rare to see that smile.

"I can't breathe!" She twisted and turned under him, giggling—something so unlike her. For once, she didn't care if she sounded like a lovesick teenager. She felt like one. "I'm only laughing because you lasted less than forty-five seconds before you gave in, Edward!"

He playfully growled, nipping at her chin and ear, whatever was within reach. "What do you expect when you're looking like fucking sin with my cock in your mouth?"

It couldn't be helped; she moaned. He rarely spoke like that. "Oh, I don't know, maybe remain in character," she sang, off-key to add to his playfulness.

"I'm a good actor, baby, but not that good." He dipped down to kiss her reddened lips, groaning as she shifted to accommodate his hips between her thighs. "It didn't help that you were fingering yourself." The memory made his cock twitch; too bad he needed a little more time. His body wasn't _that_ young anymore, even though he felt like a horny teenager.

"We should get ready," she whispered as his lips continued to brush against her sensitive skin.

"We will, but right now, I just want to hold you."

Bella noticed the slight blush on his cheeks. She smiled up at him, caressing one side of his face. "I love you."

His smile widened a little. "I love you, too." He fell on the bed beside her, pulling her to lay on his chest. "We have a few minutes." He held her close, pressing soft kisses to the top of her head. Her soft sigh of contentment matched his own. He shivered as her fingers traced indistinct patterns on his chest.

"What are we going to do?" She sounded worried and she had a good reason to be. Hollywood ate people alive. One pissed off person could end your career. Bella had already gone through that and dating him could make it worse. His world wasn't the easiest to navigate, and it was even harder for couples.

Relationships were either fake or real, but they rarely lasted.

"I don't want to hide, Bella." Again, Edward couldn't resist hugging her tighter, as if he could hold them together.

"I wouldn't want to, either." She looked up at him, her chin resting on his sternum. "So much will change."

"For you, yes." Edward looked away for a moment to imagine how bad it would get for her. It could increase her sales in the community, help lift the blacklist by that asshole producer and so much more. However, for every benefit, there was a downside. She would no longer have privacy when she left her home or his, everything she said would be scrutinized by the media and what he called The Red Circle fans would do what they could to prove they were together or apart. Many would see her as opportunistic, using his fame to boost her career.

He didn't give a fuck what the media and people said about him. Most of that shit he learned to just roll off his back. Yet, he knew it would be hard to do the same if someone spoke poorly of Bella. Paps were ruthless, using his family to get that one photo that could line their bank accounts for years. It was a wonder how he hadn't punched the asshole that called his mother a lazy bitch for forcing him to take care of her in her retirement. Which was bullshit—his father was a doctor and his mother was from old money. They were trying to goad him.

"For you, too." She shrugged, biting her lip for a moment. "You're going to have to learn to rein in your temper."

"I know."

The worry in her eyes intensified. "You can't react if they dig up dirt on me."

"You don't have much dirt, I'm sure."

"Not really, but I have enemies that would love a chance at their fifteen minutes of fame. My ex will want payback." Edward remembered about the asshole that did her master bathroom, the one that wouldn't finish the job she paid him for. She explained how there was some love triangle in her past, and how the supposed ex of the boy she was dating had accused her of cheating. She hadn't known they were still together since she'd gone to a different school. "That's the kind of stuff they'd use against you to piss you off."

"Thanks for telling me about that, and though you're right, we know the truth. All we have to do is ignore assholes that come out from the woodwork looking for some kind of payout."

She nodded, sighing deeply. "Then there's the fact that I'm blacklisted."

"That will likely change, especially if they see your quality of work." He shifted their bodies until they were face to face. "Don't let the haters ruin this before we get a chance to start."

She rolled her eyes. "Wondering how it'll come out is not me being scared, just practical and logical. I need to know what to expect. We're going to be okay because _we_ want this to work."

"How did you get so smart? Was it all the sex?"

She laughed pushing him away as he crawled over her body, kissing her until she was breathless again. "We have to get ready."

Edward groaned but managed to climb out of bed. He stretched, his arms over his head, some aches in his muscles made themselves known—not that he minded one bit. It meant he exercised good and proper.

"Whoa," Bella murmured, watching Edward with awe. His body was fucking insanely gorgeous. She couldn't stop staring at him. He wasn't overly built like some that had muscles on top of other muscles. He was leaner and defined, his body sculpted like Olympic swimmers.

He chuckled, grabbing a hold of her hand and tugging her up. "Stop looking at me like that, or we'll never get out of here."

She looked about ready to tell him to stay, which he had no problem with, at all. "Ugh! I want to stay, even though my lady bits are in serious need of a break. But I need the exposure downstairs for my company."

He agreed for two reasons. One, because he didn't want to cause her any more discomfort, and two, her work deserved to gain some attention. "I'm going to shower quickly."

Bella looked down at her body, wincing slightly and shifting her feet. "I should to, I smell like sex and you."

Edward grabbed her to place a hard kiss on her mouth. "Leave it, that way the asshats that try to get your number know you're taken."

She cocked a brow as he walked away, knowing she couldn't join him. A wet Bella was never to be wasted.

.

.

.

* * *

"Why are there so many people lining up to take pictures with us?" Edward scanned the crowd, worried that someone may have found out who was under the prosthetic makeup and face mask.

Bella shook her head, pulling out her cellphone from a hidden pocket she sewed into her Loki inspired tunic. "I'm going to kill him!" She looked around, craning her neck and standing on the tips of her toes. There were so many people; not just around them, but everywhere. It didn't help that she wasn't sure what James was wearing. The asshole had a habit of changing costumes a couple of times a day.

"What is it?" Edward remained stiff and intimidating since Bella decided to give him a new chin, with a small scar so that he wouldn't have to wear the face mask all day. The plan was for him to remove it in another hour or so. She handed him her phone that was opened to her Twitter app.

 _ **DarkMonster**_ _is here darkmonster – I have it on good authority that Isabella's gender-flipping Loki is hanging with The Winter Soldier (aka REAL Sebastian Stan)._

The number of retweets rivaled Edward's most popular tweets. "Fuck, he may not have found out who I am, but he still thinks someone famous is hiding behind the mask and makeup."

"You don't look like Seb, people would clearly see that…"

"If I took off the mask," Edward finished for her. She looked worriedly at him, shaking her head. "We don't have much of a choice, do we?"

"We can leave?" The entire conversation was whispered, said against each other's ears to prevent eavesdropping from all the people around them. Since they had come back downstairs, they were swarmed by the other Marvel characters to take group photos, which garnered attention from fans.

"Are there any more panels today that you wanted to go to?" Edward racked his brain, but he couldn't remember. It hardly helped that the group of people seemed to have doubled in size in the last few minutes.

"We're good there." She looked at her phone and typed out a message. "We have to get the word out that you are not Sebastian without giving away who you really are."

"Call me Anthony or Tony," Edward said, taking a deep breath. He removed the mask that covered the lower part of his face, keeping the glasses on as a precaution. His eyes and eyebrows are distinctive and didn't want to risk it, plus he hadn't put on the contact lenses. "Let's take a picture like this and post it on all your accounts."

"Are you sure about this?" She was worried, and he loved her even more for it.

Edward cradled her face, ignoring the Ironman asshole that was trying to get another group photo and moving closer to Bella. "I'm absolutely sure about you and your work." He winked and grabbed her phone, holding it out in front of them. He loathed taking selfies, most appeared so posed and fake. "Smile, beautiful."

Bella smiled at the camera, then turned to look at him again. It was hard to look away from someone so darn pretty.

Edward started to chuckle. "You're so darn pretty, too."

Bella laughed, looking away. "You're killing my brain cells, I swear." She grabbed the phone after he'd taken a series of photos. After picking out a few, she posted them to her accounts, with the caption, _Anthony and Bella Comic-Con, SD 2017._

"Let's go. Hopefully, they'll think I'm not Seb or anyone else famous." Edward looked at the photos she picked. She was smart enough to avoid any with too much of his face, keeping their cosplay costumes the focal point. His longer hair helped disguise him a bit more, and adding the prominent scarred cleft chin, most wouldn't know it was him.

Bella sent a quick text to Jacob and Seth, posing for a few more photos until they joined them. Darth Vader and a stormtrooper helped them through but made it look like they're just friends instead of bodyguards, even stopping a take some quick photos.

Edward and Bella breathed a sigh of relief once they were in his car and out of the parking lot. Those few minutes of him without part of his facemask helped expose DarkMonster for his lie. Already hundreds called him out on it, though he refused to back down that it was Sebastian under the fake makeup and costume. Some fans called him an idiot, telling him that Sebastian wasn't stupid enough to come as his most famous character.

Within a few miles of the beach house, Bella was laughing since Sebastian posted on Instagram a video of him in bed, looking sick and miserable, apologizing that he would not be able to be there for the Marvel panels. It further discredited DarkMonster, aka James.

"Something tells me that you made a call earlier," Bella mused out loud, her eyes closing. They had to separate to divide the attention on them being together. People were still looking for a female Loki and Winter Solider together, wanting to confirm that it wasn't Sebastian Stan.

Edward gave her a cheeky smile. "Honey, he did it for you."

Bella giggled at his mock glare, though maybe there was a hint of jealousy. She had a lot of friends in the industry, and some actors and actresses did take the time to know the crews. Sebastian was one of them.

"I'm in the mood for some food, Mr. Cullen."

Again, hearing her say his name that way made him think of marriage. He wanted to try something. "I live to serve you, _Mrs. Cullen_."

She didn't gasp or choke with surprise. Instead, she took his hand in hers and looked happy.

And that made him hopeful.

.

.

.

* * *

" _What are you saying, Edward?"_ Jasper, a long-time friend and well-known rock star, had called early the following morning. _"You're in love with her after less than a month?"_

Edward read the instructions once more and started the coffee machine, careful to make as little noise as possible. He wanted to serve Bella breakfast in bed.

"Excuse me, this is Jasper Whitlock I'm talking to, right?" Edward wanted to roll his eyes, but he knew Jasper had his best interests at heart. "You called me two weeks after meeting the _most amazing photographer,"_ emphasizing the last part with a falsetto voice, "and that you were engaged to be married."

" _My sexy wife, Alice, is different. When you know, you know."_

"Well, the same goes for me." A look toward the hall indicated he was still alone. "I'm going to marry her one day."

Jasper's silence lasted long enough for Edward to wonder if the call dropped. _"You mean that, don't you?"_

"Yeah, I do. What sucks is that it's going to have to be a long engagement, to show the media and fans that she wasn't only after my money."

" _Who gives a fuck what they think? You think I didn't take that into consideration with Alice. In the end, life is too fucking short, man. You're not living the life you want if you cater to everyone else but yourself. Does this girl deserve that?"_

"Woman," Edward corrected, shaking his head, at himself. A stupid nightmare brought all his fears back to the surface. "I'm not worried about how she'll handle it, she's capable of standing up for herself. I'm worried if I can handle asshole interviewers that will use bullshit from our pasts to get a reaction out of me."

" _I get that and trust me I know all too well."_ Jasper had lost his shit after an interviewer asked how he felt about Alice's former job as a stripper. _"Someone will say something about her, do whatever it is you have to do. If you punch him, oh fucking well. Walk away from an interview if some bitch crosses the line."_

"If I hold it in, it'll be worse in the long run."

" _You'll be a ticking time bomb."_

Edward finished the omelet he was cooking and turned toward the kitchen island to put it on a plate, startling when he came face to face with Bella.

She tapped her fingertips on the tile, then a hand gesture. "Who?"

Shrugging, he put the phone on speaker. "Hey, Jasper, I want you meet Bella Swan." He passed her the omelet and worked on a cup of coffee for her. Her sleep rumbled appearance was cute, and he was having a hard time not walking around the island and kiss her hard.

" _Hello, Ms. Swan. Is Edward treating you well?"_

With a cheeky smile, Bella answered, "I'm not sure, have you ever had one of his omelets?"

Edward's eyes narrowed as he reached for her plate, but her hand was on it, too. They played a mild game of tug o' war until he relinquished the plate to her.

All the while, Jasper laughed his ass off. _"I can't wait to meet you face to face, Bella."_

"Sounds good to me, but it'll be a while. I'm locking him away for a few weeks after Comic Con."

" _Locking? Don't you mean taking?"_

Bella grinned, shrugging; not one bit apologetic. "Locking, taking? There's no difference to me."

"I'm a willing prisoner." Edward laughed as her cheeks reddened for a moment.

" _Locking? Prisoner? Looks like I found the perfect excuse to go buy some handcuffs for your birthday present."_

They all laughed, taking a few minutes to make some plans for a barbeque at Edward's place once Jasper returned from his tour. After the call, Edward and Bella had only an hour before they had to leave for their last day at Comic-Con. It was, in a way, bittersweet to reach the end.

Edward looked at Bella as she spoke with her hands about a cabin a client of hers had up near Yosemite that they could visit. His fingers rose to move a wayward curl of her hair behind her ear. She smiled at him, sensing he was barely listening, too engrossed with her.

"What are you thinking, Edward?" She held on to his wrist on her cheek, pressing a kiss to his palm.

"Realizing just how much I've fallen for you."

Her cheek moved beneath his hand, her smile radiant. "If it's anything like how I feel, it's pretty damn incredible."

They kissed and held each other close, talking quietly until it was time to get ready and head to the hotel for their last day at Comic-Con.

* * *

 **AN: The next chapter is the Marvel Panel and the conclusion of Comic-Con. I say with the two outtakes I'm writing and the epilogue, I'll reach the 30 chapters total. Almost done! And yes, I'm writing the scene where Bella tests Edward's acting skills while going down on him, lol. I'm off to go camping tomorrow (so glad I could post this before then) where I hope to get some writing done, I'll be working on ONLY this until its done. Then I'll go back to the other fics. Thanks to kyla73 for all your help and for getting this chapter back quickly. Love you!**


	27. Chapter 27

**AN: After some research, I decided that I would just wing it. There are so MANY videos and panels, there's so much that I'd never get through it. Real life and all, you know? I'll get some of it right and much more that I'll get wrong. This is not how all of the Marvel panels went down, do not expect a play-by-play. Also, I made a couple of mistakes in this fic, I'll tell you about it at the bottom. Thanks and enjoy!**

* * *

 **Incognito**

 **Chapter Twenty-Seven**

* * *

"We should've saved these costumes for today only," Edward whispered, surrounded by other like-minded people. Marvel fans that hadn't had a chance to take a look at their costumes before were taking the chance to ask for pictures as they all waited in line for the Marvel panels.

"Maybe." Bella smiled as a man much taller than her leaned in close to take a photo with his phone. The sun was in her eyes, but her smile seemed slightly forced, then Edward noticed her go rigid. A sharp jab of her elbow to the man's gut made him spit out an apology and high tail it out of there.

Edward headed after him, but a firm hand on his faux metal arm cautioned him to stop. He was seething—he'd seen too late that the asshole had grabbed a handful of Bella's ass while he was busy with another cosplayer.

"It's fine." Bella cocked an eyebrow, reminding him about their discussions between rounds of sex the previous evening. He couldn't _save_ her every time some asshole took liberties and she could take care of herself, if needed. She tilted her head toward someone huge dressed as Thanos—the comic book version—and security stopped the asshole from joining his friends. She leaned up to whisper their mutual friend and protector, that it was Jake in the Thanos costume. "Let them handle it."

A few other bystanders in line had seen the whole exchange. A couple of other women stepped forward to say the Iron Man cosplayer had done the same to them. Three guards had to stronghold the individual away from the long line waiting to enter Hall H.

After the incident, Edward wrapped his arms around Bella from behind, resting his chin on her shoulder as she looked through all the latest news surrounding the Marvel panels. Lots of speculation indicated that they may get previews for Infinity Wars and the highly anticipated Black Panther.

They found out when they arrived that DarkMonster had to lock his Twitter account after his mentions got out of control, as people were angry that he had lied to them. He had lost thousands of followers in a matter of hours. Hopefully, it would be the last they'd ever see of him for a while, but they'd remain cautious, since it was likely that James was dressed up and hiding behind a mask among the crowds.

Bella decided to wear the headpiece she had made for her Loki costume, her staff a perfect replica of Loki's in the original Avengers. Several enthusiastic fans asked if she'd consider using her staff like a sword to "knight" them for Loki's army. It was weird, but Bella seemed to handle the request with ease, her acting ability was damn good, surprising Edward.

"It's time!" Someone closer to the front of the line shouted, eliciting several hoots and sounds of excitement punctuated the air. The crowd was already twitchy with anticipation, it increased ten-fold as the line moved slowly, inch by inch. It was hot as fuck, the sun blazing and baking them, yet everyone was ready for whatever Marvel had in store for them.

Bella bounced on her feet, smiling at Edward. Her hand curled around his gloved fingers and pressed a kiss to his matching grin. Being famous had some perks, like there was no such thing as lines for him, but if he had come as himself, he wouldn't be able to experience it from an audience perspective. The anticipation made it all worth it in the end. The ease of walking among people who loved all things comic book and superhero-related was something he'd never regret. He understood why fans were willing to wait in line for hours for a glimpse of their favorite actors and a preview of what was to come.

Moving toward the front once they entered the hall, Edward and Bella didn't bother to sit, as many others were on their feet, craning their necks to see behind a curtained area, where the stars were likely waiting. The tables set up for the panel spanned the entire length of the stage, and several indistinct names were on cards in front of each seat.

"Chris Hemsworth is the closest to us." Bella had stars in her eyes.

Edward only felt a twinge of jealousy. He knew both Chris and Bella well enough to know that they'd never cross the line and betray him. "I haven't seen him in months." They had met at an after party, but neither of them had stayed very long; just enough time to get some photos to appease their agents. "Tom is, too." He knew she had a thing for Loki, so it stood to reason that she'd love a chance to meet Tom Hiddleston, too.

She whimpered.

His hand may have squeezed her hip a bit too hard.

She stuck out her tongue at him. "I can't help it." Her attention was still on the panel, the voices in the room increased as movement came from behind one of the curtains.

A giant screen was set up behind the panel, many hoping that they'd get some footage from one of their upcoming films. As usual, any news went viral and that year's panels would be no different.

They might as well get their geek on whenever possible.

Another fifteen minutes passed, allowing for everyone to be seated. Photographers for various media outlets were positioned at prime photo advantage, their cameras flashing to photograph the enthusiastic audience.

The crowd clapped and shouted as the host took on the stage, waving and nodding along with the loud audience. It meant that it wouldn't be long now. He got the crowd going, dropping a few names and pausing for dramatic effect often. He soon announced Kevin Feige of Marvel, everyone standing on their feet to welcome him. His smile was huge as he mentioned that the entire audience was getting the new Black Panther and Thor Ragnarok posters, both showing up on the screen. The cheers increased at the mere mention of freebies.

Suddenly, what Edward thought was a loud crowd turned to one that was deafening as Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Chadwick Boseman, and Mark Ruffalo walked onto the stage. Bella was screaming along with the rest and Edward couldn't help but smile, joining in the energy that encompassed the entire room.

They waved and said a few words, Bella's hand fisted on the back of Edward's jacket when Chris pulled up the sleeves of his blue jacket, a Miami Vice vibe to his attire. It was hard not to tease her, making her blush and laugh out loud when he did. Tom's accent nearly brought _his_ girlfriend to her knees, but he let that go, though he filed away the information for later. His British accent was damn good; maybe she'd enjoy it from him, too.

Bella hadn't expected Edward to be the jealous type, but maybe he never had a reason to feel like that? She wasn't sure, but she refused to let it ruin her fun. It wasn't like she was drooling, but Tom was certainly not making it easy on her. The man had a voice that made her melt. He could read a phone book and she wouldn't be bored.

Excitement erupted from every direction Bella realized, even Edward. His eyes before the lights were dimmed glowed with infectious happiness, and it was beautiful to witness and be part of the reason why it was there in the first place. At that moment, he was just a normal comic book lover, letting his geek out.

His fingers slipped around her hand, as if by instinct. Bending low enough to whisper in her ear, "I'm so happy we're doing this together."

As Kevin made to leave, some of the audience was confused. They expected much more than posters. Tom grabbed a microphone, saying, "Wait a minute, just wait a minute. We didn't come all this way just to see that."

Bella nodded and screamed out Tom's name, Edward laughing beside her.

Mark had a hand on his chest, agreeing with Tom. Chadwick's deep voice came loud and clear, too. "No, no, no."

Kevin pretended that he'd given the audience enough. "He needs to work on his acting skills," Edward said, earning a giggle from Bella.

Tom wasn't listening to what Kevin had to say, pointing to the others on stage with him. "I'm standing here with three Avengers." The audience screamed, Bella jumped up and down, using Edward's arm for stability.

He was laughing at her, but she didn't care at all.

Tom smiled at everyone, pointing down. "I should know because I tried to fight them once."

Chris made a face and said something to Tom that Edward couldn't pick up over the screaming.

Tom was quick to add. "I didn't win."

Chris turned to Kevin. "There's one small thing we haven't seen, Kevin."

Kevin shook his head. "I didn't bring it."

The dismay on Mark's face looked all too real. "But Kevin," he said, gesturing toward the audience. "Let's ask the people, do you want to see?"

All of them riled up the crowd, asking for more noise. All smiles. The energy Edward recognized earlier seemed to quadruple. Someone else joined them on stage—the director—and the actors looked to him for confirmation that they had footage to show.

"There's no way we're not going to show you footage." The audience was on their feet, the noise is deafening. It was amazing. "Ladies and gentleman, we give you…" he gestured to the giant screen behind him, "Infinity Wars."

Chris Hemsworth did a mike drop as the room darkened.

The hush that came over the room was sudden, everyone's eyes on the screen. The montage of comic strips from Marvel comics came on, a few shouts punctuated the air. It was time.

.

.

.

* * *

The rest of the panels were fantastic. The Black Panther panel, complete with Lupita Nyongo and Michael B. Jordan joining Chadwick, was energetic and fun. The Thor Ragnarok was amazing. Bella and Edward were both enamored with Tessa Thompson, Cate Blanchett, Jeff Goldblum. At least Bella's starry eyes were for everyone and not just the hot male actors.

"That was amazing!" Edward didn't care if he turned heads as he threw his hands in the air. "Let the speculation begin." They exited Hall H, a loud hum of conversations surrounded them, as people were already speculating what was going to happen in Infinity Wars. Captain Marvel was also garnering a lot of attention, leaving many people wondering if the character would make an appearance in the next _two_ Avengers films.

They were so distracted that Edward hadn't realized his prosthetic chin had fallen off sometime in the last couple of hours. He had to remove his goggles since they were considerably dark and in a darkened room would be useless.

"I knew it!"

Bella's eyes went wide as she looked up at Edward, his own matching soon after; they'd recognized the voice in an instant. A camera flashed in their faces, Edward didn't have time to knock it back before Jake pushed James out of the way. No wonder they hadn't recognized James much earlier— he wasn't dressed up. At all.

"Go!"

" _Is that Edward Cullen?"_

" _Is that who I think it is?"_

" _Oh my God, it's Edward Cullen!"_

Edward shrugged as people started toward them. He apologized to Bella before tossing her on his shoulder and running behind Jake and who he assumed with Seth in a Dr. Strange costume.

"What are you doing?" Bella screamed, trying to look up despite her position. She spotted the crowd running after them. "They know it's you now, and some cosplayers know who I am too, oh shit!"

Edward knew she was right. She passed out cards for her business all weekend long. Most cosplayer enthusiasts knew about her work in the industry and even had gotten a few pieces done by her company. It would be easy to put a name to the mystery brunette he'd been with for the last few days. There was also a picture of her kissing The Winter Soldier, posted by her followers. At the time, they had no idea who he was, it wouldn't take long before his fans would put two and two together.

"I don't give a fuck," Edward said, slightly out of breath. He placed a possessive hand on her thigh, just under her ass, hopefully marking her as his girlfriend. Might as well make it obvious that she was more than a friend.

Edward recognized his friend, Garrett, behind the wheel of his rental. "I owe you big, man. Thanks."

They clasped hands for a moment. Garrett brushed back his dark hair and grinned. "A date with your sister, Kate, would be good."

Edward glared at him and helped a slightly pissed off and dizzy Bella into the car. "Over my dead body."

"That can be arranged," Bella said from the passenger seat. "I know a guy."

Jake thumped on the hood of the car when his tactic of security holding up the mob of female fans following them only worked for so long. "Get going now!"

Garrett stopped Edward one more time. "Is she worth it?"

Edward looked at Bella. "She's worth everything."

* * *

 **AN: (hangs head in shame) Okay, I messed up as I mentioned above. I hadn't realized it until someone pointed out that Alice was Edward's baby sister in this, so how could she be married to Jasper. I thought I named his sister as Kate. Oops. So, I changed any instances of Alice being his sister to Kate. Sorry for the mix-up, I had it all in my notes as Kate, idk why as I wrote it I changed to Alice. Habit maybe? lol**

 **I also meant to use 2016 Comic-Con stuff in this but decided, in the end, to use 2017 Comic-Con as a reference. A lot more happened and it was awesome, though I only know this due to videos on YouTube.**

 **Almost done with this fic! Thanks to Kyla713 for helping me out and to Myherion for sticking with this birthday fic.**


	28. Chapter 28

**Incognito**

 **Chapter—Twenty-Eight**

* * *

Edward's hand tightened around the steering wheel as they drove away from the group forming behind Jake, Seth, and Garrett. Bella had remained rather quiet and it was giving him a complex issue.

"My work failed!" Her hands balled into fists, her eyes clenching shut. "You've been identified and my makeup failed. I failed!" She looked close to tears.

 _Oh shit._

"First of all, our original agreement was that as long as I wasn't identified _by_ Comic Con. I never expected to go completely unnoticed the entire weekend. It was only a matter of time." It had been close, though.

"My makeup still failed." Her pout was nearly irresistible and something he would have to demand she never did while he drove.

Edward cringed when he realized he had a confession to make. "Okay, that's not on you, actually." He felt the heat of her glare on the side of his head; at least the pout was gone. "You taught me how to apply the prosthetic chin so you had time to get ready this morning."

"Yes, and I told you to go shave and apply it like I showed you." Her eyes narrowed in on his stubbly chin. "You didn't shave."

"No." Edward prepared for her anger; it was well deserved. He wanted to learn how to do it himself so that she'd have time to get ready, and for possible use whenever he wanted to go out. Instead, he went about it lazily and the fake chin fell.

Bella started laughing. "I should've known better!"

"You're not mad?"

The grin on her face told him they'd be okay. "I was more upset over the sudden lift off the ground, Edward. One moment, I was ready for whatever came at us, the next, I was in the air and landing on your _hard_ shoulder."

At that, Edward started to apologize. He had no idea it would hurt her that much. They always made it seem so easy in the damn movies.

"Anyway, it was the last day, and we were in a hurry this morning since we had only a few hours of sleep."

"If that," Edward stated with a waggle of his brows. They had been rather busy the night before.

"I'm not mad at you. More at the situation." She shrugged, pulling out her cellphone and frowning on it. "James hasn't posted much yet. Just that you were at the event, but he says he'll have photos and more soon."

"We won't be able to head to my house or yours any time soon." It wouldn't be long before paps invaded their homes. He wouldn't have been surprised to find some there already. "We'll head back to Dom's place, but we'll have to decide what to do. Dylan said he was heading there Tuesday."

He looked over at her to see her furiously typing on her phone. "What's going on?"

"Texting with Jake and Seth, trying to decide how best to handle this."

"May I make a suggestion?"

Bella sensing the seriousness in Edward's tone turned to look at him. "I'm all ears."

"How about I post a tasteful photo on Instagram or Twitter of the both of us in costume? Something along the lines of thanking San Diego and Comic-Con for a great experience, but I won't use your name."

Her brow tightened, nothing her eyes giving away how she felt about his suggestion. "They should work for it. My name, I mean. And it wouldn't look like I'm not using you."

"Exactly. No matter what, James got the best pictures if Jake didn't manage to delete the photos. He'll still be the one to give your name away, but the fact that I'm sharing something may take away some of his glory."

"We'll just use your verified Instagram account."

"I don't have a verified Instagram account."

Bella shook her head. "Yes, you do. Last year, you did an interview and Q & A with fans using Instagram."

"I completely forgot about it. The app should still be on my phone, I turned off the notifications within minutes after the interview. I was getting pinged every other second." Edward unlocked his phone for her to use. Since they weren't being followed, thanks to the quick thinking of his friends, they headed toward a secluded parking lot.

Her laughter immediately started up once she updated Instagram and looked to find over a thousand notifications, mostly likes and comments.

"How are we doing this?" Her eyes shined bright as he looked at her, and damn, he was thankful that he made the decision to try going incognito so he could attend Comic Con. "What is it?"

"I'm so fucking lucky."

Her wink made him smile before they both exited the car, finding a spot that was slightly shaded. They decided to take two photos to share. One of them was in full costume and in character. It looked incredible and Edward decided right then and there that they needed to take studio quality photos soon. The other photo was of them without his face mask and goggles, her headdress off, holding each other close and with her looking at him. Her side profile was gorgeous and perfect, and his smile looked genuine.

 _Thanks, Comic Con-San Diego for an amazing experience this year, made all the better with someone to share it with._

"A bit vague but also enough for them to know I'm important," Bella said as she looked at the photo before he posted it.

"Ready?" He pressed the "share" button when she nodded. "It's done."

Her answering smile made it impossible for him to resist kissing her, her lips especially soft beneath his. She pulled back after a minute in an attempt to catch her breath, her hands cradling each side of his face. "We'll be okay. As long as we communicate and fight for this, for us."

"With every breath left inside me." Their kiss lasted a bit too long, catching the attention of some onlookers parking a few spaces from them. Startled by the sounds of giggling girls and the sudden, "oh my God," they gave each other one last hug before Edward slipped his phone into his pocket and jumped into the car.

"They had their phones out." Bella sat back but didn't bother to keep her head down.

"And so, it begins." Edward pulled out of the parking lot and headed for the freeway. Soon, they'd be secluded at the beach house, where they'll decide what to do next.

"It began the day you called me." Her sigh was soft and wistful, making him smile.

"And you answered with your nipple."

She laughed and denied it, still claiming she answered with her nose. "Why oh why did you even ask how I answered?"

Edward shrugged and answered honestly. "You had the sexiest voice, which made me curious." He cursed. "My phone hasn't stopped buzzing in my pocket, which means it's my agent." He asked for her to link his phone to the car to discuss their options with one of the best in the industry. "Ready for this?"

She nodded, though there was no disguising her nervousness. "Jane is a ballbuster."

Edward agreed with a laugh. "Then you'll two should get along well."

She punched his arm.

" _Lie to me, Edward,"_ Jane answered, the aggravation clear in her voice. _"Tell me you didn't just practically announce you were at Comic-Con and that you weren't alone."_

"You're on the line with me and my _girlfriend_." There was no stopping him now. He told her name and where she was from, though he had a feeling she already had that information. Jane had some scary connections, but he never asked questions.

There was a lot of muttering, a few muffled screams before Jane returned to the line. _"At least you're getting some. You were becoming such a dick."_

Bella started to laugh. "He accused me of calling the paps the first time he came over."

" _And did you?"_ Gone was the frustration; it was full on protective mode. Not that Bella took it an insult. It was nice someone was looking out for Edward.

"No, I technically didn't know it was him when he first called. More like I had a suspicion. Plus, I'm friends with Rosalie, and I know how bad it gets for her. I would never do such a thing."

" _So, I'm guessing you were_ _ **hired**_ _to make a costume."_ There was no missing the accusation that time.

Now it was Edward's turn to be protective. "Yes, I did hire her for that, but we got to know each other since then. I have no problem with letting the media know who I've fallen in love with."

There was a short pause and Edward was sort of frightened that all hell was about to come down on him.

" _Aw, that's such a good line. Too bad it's going to be hell for you both. Are you sure you're ready for what this entails, Ms. Swan?"_

Bella grabbed Edward's hand from his thigh and slipped their fingers together. "I'm ready."

"I'm am, too."

" _Well, you two were smart to share photos and not using her name. It'll look less like you're helping her expand her business."_

"I'm well known in the cosplay world." Bella winced as _her_ phone started to ring again, and then quickly silenced it. "James, aka Edward's biggest fan, knows who I am."

" _I'm well aware of your work, Ms. Swan. Both on and off screen. Did you mention to Edward that you did some theater?"_

She mentioned it in passing but never gave him the details.

"Yes, she did. If this helps or hinders her career in any way, we'll deal with any fallout." Edward squeezed her hand when she went a little pale. He already knew she used to do a lot of acting in high school and college but didn't bother much after that. She found her niche in the details, the costumes; behind the scenes. She hadn't tried to keep that from him.

" _Good, just making sure she's being honest with you. Edward, that role you wanted is produced by the asshole that blacklisted her."_

Bella's eyes went wide, her head shaking before he even responded. They knew each other enough that she'd know he would want nothing to do with it. She obviously didn't want it to affect his career.

He would never want to work with someone with such a disgusting work and moral ethics.

"Tell them to forget it then."

" _Simple as that, huh?"_ Jane laughed, rolling on not expecting an answer. _"All right, I'm going to look at her social media accounts, see if she should remove anything."_

Edward didn't want Bella to have to remove anything, but he took one look at her, and she agreed with Jane. They ended the call with the promise to have a more thorough discussion in a few days and agreed to what Jane would tell the media when they called.

"James posted his photos shortly after you did. I think they're slightly blurry." She laughed as she described how people were replying by posting the photos Edward had posted. They were right; James was quick to give any information he had about her, but it backfired when fans of Edward accused him of doxing her.

"My accounts aren't verified, but I have a ton of requests already." She sighed, though it didn't sound like a happy one.

"What is it?"

"My dad is asking me to call him."

Edward knew there had been a falling out when she came to California to live with her aunt and attend college. Her family wanted her close to home and not living with the most eccentric, estranged family member. Aunt Maggie lived with her two lovers for twelve years before they both died in a car accident a year before Bella moved in with her. Her conservative parents worried that Maggie would influence her life in all the wrong ways, and Bella didn't give a fuck what they thought. She moved and lived her best years with her aunt before she passed two years earlier.

"We're almost there."

.

.

.

* * *

"Bella," Edward whispered, holding her close as she cried softly against his shoulder. "Please tell me these are happy tears."

"Yes, you have no idea how much I needed to hear what they had to say." Her head lifted enough for their eyes to meet. "We're all so stubborn." Her parents made a lot of apologies and even showed her stacks of unsent letters because they were ashamed of how they handled things before Bella had moved.

Edward grinned, grateful to see a smile on her face again. "Who did you get your stubbornness from?"

"Stop being cheeky!" She giggled, settling more fully on his lap. "But if you must know, from both of them, you're dealing with one hundred percent stubbornness."

They laughed, but hers soon turned to screams as he flung her over his shoulder again and making the way to the bathroom. They had days' worth of sweat, tears, and Comic-Con to wash off…together.

As they lathered up and discussed the day, they each said they had no regrets in the end.

"Well, I wouldn't say no regrets." Bella pouted as she furiously washed her hair.

"What do you mean?" It was hard to concentrate when she was gloriously naked and wet. All those tiny bubbles washing over her breasts and stomach.

"I had bought all the photo ops."

"Holy shit! Why didn't you say anything?" Edward quickly calculated and cursed again. "That's over a thousand dollars." His hands were in his hair and his cock decided to behave for once, guilt hitting him a bit too hard.

The soft touch her hands on his wrists had his eyes snapping open. "It's fine."

"No, it's not, Bella. This is already affecting you and not in a good way."

The softness in her eyes disappeared. "What? You're going to give up before this really gets started?"

His neck protested with a slight twinge when he was little too quick and hard to shake his head. "Never, but I hate this shit."

"So do I, but there's always next year."

"Not with the same stars and you know it." Edward was right. If they went by the Marvel movie release timeline, the following year would likely only be _Captain Marvel_ , _Antman and the Wasp_ cast. If they didn't decide to skip the following year.

"It's fine, Edward."

He nodded for now, but he intended to make it up to her.


	29. Chapter 29

**Incognito**

 **Chapter Twenty-Nine**

* * *

Bella snuggled further into her pillow, not wanting to wake up from an interesting dream. Her imagination had worked overtime during her nap, blending Edward with all the hunks from the Marvel movies. She sighed as Loki laughed it up, and Thor crowed about a snake biting him. Edward wrapped an arm around her, waving a plate of delicious smelling food under her nose. The others started to call out for her to join them, while Thor bragged about his barbequing skills.

The sheets beneath her shifted along with her, stretching as she did. The dream lingered as reality set in, but she didn't mind. Edward was out there, probably waiting for her to wake up. He had sent her to take a nap after almost falling asleep as they spoke to his sister, Kate, and his mother over FaceTime. It wasn't the best introductions, but they had to make do. The media turned relentless once word came out as to who she was, and it didn't seem it would stop any time soon.

Convincing him to join her hadn't worked, much to her disappointment, but he did have to make arrangements for their departure and their "vacation" somewhere other than their homes. Once the word had spread, her employees were quick to remind her that she hadn't had a real vacation that was not work-related in over five years. They understood and would finish any orders while she was away. Apparently, it was a madhouse at her studio, too.

" _You wield that thing any higher, you're liable to hit your face, Chris."_ The British accent from her dreams continued to linger, though why Loki called his brother Chris, she had no idea.

" _You underestimate my abilities once again."_ Thor's voice wasn't quite as deep as usual.

" _If you don't stop arguing, you're going to burn the burgers."_ Bruce, always the voice of reason.

" _If you don't quiet down, you're going to wake up my girlfriend."_

Bella's eyes snapped open, and when she heard nothing else after a minute, she sighed in relief. Maybe a little disappointment. The voices were all a part of her dream, but what a dream it had been. The one thing that wasn't only in her dreams was the smell of something delicious in the air.

Not just Edward's smell, but that was a whole other level of deliciousness.

One more stretch and she climbed out of bed, grabbed a pair of maroon velour shorts and a black bikini top in the hopes to rile up her _boyfriend_. The AC unit was giving them a little trouble, so the house felt warmer than usual. The salty sea air carried in by the ocean breeze wasn't enough to cool down her heated skin.

Wanting to catch Edward in the act of cooking again, she decided to tiptoe out of the bedroom. The last time was rather fun and ended with them fucking on the kitchen floor. Maybe she should come out naked, but with her luck, he'd catch her trying to sneak toward him.

She rubbed her hands together, already thinking about the feel of him in her mouth when she walked into the kitchen that opened up to the back deck where several people stood.

 _Like famous people._

Chris Hemsworth was cheekily flipping a lethal looking spatula near the grill in his hand. Mark Ruffalo waved his hands around as he spoke to Edward and Paul Rudd. Paul was only nodding along, listening to Mark, looking a bit starry-eyed himself. Tessa Thompson and Chadwick Boseman were sitting at one of the patio tables, talking among themselves, munching on some food set up on the table.

She should pinch herself, but that would mean waking up. "I've got be dreaming."

"Would you mind giving me a hand, sweetheart?"

Bella whipped around, coming face to face with Tom Hiddleston. "I-I…This is just a dream."

Tom's eyebrow cocked as his smile grew tenfold. "If it is, what exactly would you be doing right now?" His face was all innocence, but that voice was liquid sex.

Her first thought was to grab a phone book and put the theory about his ability to read anything and not find him boring to the test. "Um." She could hardly breathe.

"Isabella?"

Once upon a time, she hated her full name. It only came out from authority figures in her life when she was in trouble. Now, she had no fucking issue with the way Tom said it. Not in that accent and with that gleam in his eyes.

"Yes." Did that sound like a sigh? She felt her skin flush from the tips of her ears to her toes.

Tom looked down at his full hands as if the problem was obvious.

"Oh!" She lunged forward and grabbed the two bags of chips that were threatening to fall from one of his hands. His large, long-fingered hands. "Sorry!"

"That's all right." He gestured toward the patio and asked if she was ready to head outside.

"Yeah, that would be a good idea." Her body wouldn't move. She didn't know if she should kill her boyfriend or kiss him to death.

"I think the man wouldn't mind a kiss, sweetheart," Tom whispered, leaning in close. Why did he smell so damn good? It should be illegal and combined with that voice, her insides were goo.

Had she said that out loud? That only meant one thing, her filter had been obliterated by Edward's surprise. "I can't believe he did this."

"Most of us couldn't say no to the idea of a home cooked meal. Paul was with us when he called. Besides we all wanted to meet the woman that helped Edward go incognito this weekend."

From the look in Tom's eyes, she understood. It wasn't easy to get around in public, much less an event like Comic-Con.

"I had to do it for him. He looked so lost when he asked for my help." She shook her head and took a deep breath. "Okay, how do I look?"

Tom's eyebrow went up again. "Do you really need to ask?"

Then Bella remembered what she was wearing. She should have felt embarrassed, but she worked hard to maintain her health and a toned body. "He's going to have a heart attack, isn't he?" She grinned up at Tom, fluttering her long lashes, to let him know she was going to enjoy it.

He laughed, pushing her ahead of him. "This should be fun."

Bella walked out onto the deck, grinning and waving at the unexpected guests, waiting for Edward to turn around. Everyone on the deck stopped talking, a few gaping, others snickering behind their smiles.

Edward whirled around and his mouth dropped open. "What the hell are you wearing?"

She shrugged, making his gaze move to her chest. "If I had known we had guests, I would've dressed in something else." Her arms wove around his neck when she reached him. "Besides, my original idea was to come out naked to catch you cooking again."

His arms tightened around her, his hands falling to the small of her back to tug her closer.

"Such a shame." Tom laughed when Edward leveled a glare at him. He put down the platter of various dips and sauces he'd been carrying. "Since our host is a bit tongue-tied—"

"For good reason," Tessa stage-whispered, waggling her eyebrows.

Bella laughed and winked at her.

Tom nodded. "This is the illustrious Isabella Swan."

Bella tried to move away from Edward, but he wasn't letting her go anytime soon. She turned within the cage of his arms as their guests greeted her with handshakes and hugs, much to Edward's displeasure.

"Can you please put some more clothes on?" Edward whispered in her ear as Chadwick shook her hand.

"I say we all strip down and take a dip in the pool," Paul said, giving Bella a crooked smile.

"Maybe we shouldn't. Bella would see that her Edward here isn't the fittest among us." Chris Hemsworth then proceeded to take off his t-shirt, his blue sport jacket long gone. "It is getting a bit warm out."

"That's hardly fair," Tom playfully hissed, rolling his eyes. "Some of us do not have hours a day to dedicate to working out." Tom and Chris started to argue about their work out routines.

Tessa stood up from the table again, grabbing a small bag from under her chair. "I don't know about any of you, but I'm getting in that pool." She turned her full attention to Bella. "Any chance you have something I can borrow, beautiful?"

Bella gave Edward a hip bump as she joined Tessa, arm in arm, each of them talking as they walked inside the house.

"Anyone else here wishing they could be a fly on that wall?" Mark shook his head and pointed out to Chris that he had to turn the grilling vegetables.

"Did you even tell her why we're all here?" Tom served himself a drink and offered another bottle of beer to Edward.

"I was too busy being a possessive asshole." Edward groaned after running through the entire exchange again in his mind. "She's not going to be very forgiving for me going all Neanderthal."

"Personally, I think she was enjoying it this time, but I do advise you not go overboard." Tom patted his shoulder. "You're going to have to learn not to react in such a way in the future if you want your relationship to work out."

Paul agreed. "Its hard enough being who we are, but even harder when your partner is as hot as she is."

"That's not nice, it's not just about looks," Mark said, shaking his head. "Don't listen to them. Be yourself, communicate, and ignore all the bullshit."

"If you wanted to emulate any couple in Hollywood, my wife and I keep our lives private, or you could follow John Legend and Chrissy Teigen's example and put it all out there, but Mark's right." Paul patted Mark's back. "Be yourself, since you're not an asshole, and I'm guessing neither is she. She seems to roll with the punches, and that's important in our lives."

Edward nodded, listening to the advice of some of the most popular among men in Hollywood, both in long-term relationships. Chris having the shortest relationship between the three, agreed a lot with what the others said and reiterated that being spontaneous was important.

Chadwick was relatively new to fame, and with Black Panther in theaters soon, he listened as well. He was in a relationship, but it was still in its infancy by comparison. It didn't help that he did all he could to remain private, but his girlfriend's sister decided not to stay silent.

Edward mentally took notes, willing to take any advice. One thing he wanted more than anything at that point in his life was a future with Bella.

.

.

.

* * *

"The bikini fits, thanks." Tessa jumped up and tested that she would not fall out of her borrowed two-piece. "Any chance I can invite a friend? She wanted to join me earlier, but her meeting ran later than expected."

"The more the merrier." She huffed, pouting as she covered herself in sunscreen, after throwing on her own bikini. "I wish I didn't burn so easily."

Tessa showed off her lack of tan lines, shrugging. "What can I say, I'm blessed. You okay?"

Something in Tessa's voice made Bella close her eyes, sent her heart racing again. "I don't know how to act in front of these people." She opened her eyes and matched Tessa's soft smile. "No offense."

"No problem, because I get it. A few clips of me as Valkyrie and trailer for _Thor: Ragnarok_ and I couldn't walk down the street from my place." Tessa took one more look in the mirror and grabbed her phone to send her girlfriend a text with the address. She soon returned her full attention to a nervous Bella. "You have to think about Edward for a second. What would he want?"

"For me to be myself. At least, that's what I'm hoping."

Tessa smirked. "Good, because if he didn't then I would've said, fuck him and be yourself anyway."

Bella laughed. "He's not like that." She looked away and wondered, though; his reaction outside had been a bit much. "I think."

"Hopefully you two figure it out soon because people are going to eat you both alive." She draped her arm over Bella's shoulders. "The media would be just as horrible and women will pull out all the stops in the hopes that he'd cheat, so they'd be the mystery woman in pap pictures." She rolled her eyes while Bella's went wide. "I'm pretty sure you have nothing to worry about, you're gorgeous, and if he's too stupid to realize that you're a hundred times better than anyone falling all over him, he doesn't deserve you."

"I realized it shortly after meeting her. Still, I don't deserve her." Edward offered them a smile, though it was a bit forced, as if he was unsure about how Bella was feeling.

She sighed and told Tessa she'd join everyone outside soon. "Hi."

"I'm sorry for acting like an ass earlier." He ran his hand through his hair, meeting her eyes for the first time since she woke up. "I guess I wasn't as ready to share you as I thought I was."

"You will never have a say about what I wear." She had to put that out there. "Ever."

He nodded and sighed. "I'd say the same, but I'm fucking useless when it comes to style."

She laughed and nearly screamed when he tugged her into his arms. "Why did you do this, Edward?"

He shrugged, his lips settling on her bare shoulder. "I felt guilty for making you miss your photo ops and autographs with most of them. I checked your pass…"

Bella pulled back and gave him a little glare. "That was in my purse. We're seriously going to have a discussion about privacy." She was teasing in a way, but also letting him know it was not cool for him to go through her stuff.

"I'm sorry, but I wanted to know how much money you wasted. You paid for photo ops with everyone that signed up to do them. It was over two grand, Bella, and that's a big deal, I may be rich, but I don't like losing money like that."

"Did you call in a few favors?" Bella looked at Edward, holding back a smile. He appeared a bit shy, maybe unsure about his gesture.

"They were curious, and with the promise of food and a pool party…"

"I would've thought they'd go out for drinks or after parties."

"Some do after a Comic-Con event, but some much rather relax and they've been working together off and on for years."

She draped her arms over his shoulders, her fingers curling into his hair. "Thank you, I hope they wouldn't mind taking a few photos."

Edward grinned and rolled his eyes. "Did you think I'd go through all this trouble without making sure you get your money's worth?" He dipped down to kiss her, humming when she lifted to her toes to meet him halfway. It was soft but soon gained momentum and a healthy dose of passion.

" _It's getting hot in here,"_ Paul sang on the way to the bathroom. _"So hot, so take off all your clothes."_

Bella laughed as Edward groaned, pulling away. "Tessa left the bedroom door open, oops."

"We should probably head outside anyway." Edward walked over to a dresser and grabbed a pair of swim trunks. He grabbed the back of his shirt with one hand and pulled it off in that way that made people stop and stare. "Ha! Look at your face! I may not have eight-pack abs, but I still got it."

He was smug and a bit cocky as he headed outside with her tucked along his side. Several whistles came from the others, but when they told him they were all for Bella, he grumbled a bit, but it didn't last long. Soon music, laughter, good food and excellent conversation made for an unforgettable night.

The mini photo shoot was hilarious, especially when the others teased Edward about stealing Bella away from him. They insisted she needed to wear her Loki costume in a few photos.

"I'm not sure how I feel about you taking pictures looking so damn sexy in your Loki costume." He helped Bella into her chest plate, tying the back for her. Once done, he followed her into the living room where Chris was messing with one of the fancy cameras Edward had rented for the week. "In fact, I insist that I must be in the photos, too."

Tessa and her girlfriend, Janelle, were giving Edward the stink eye from the love seat across from the backdrop Paul and Chadwick managed to arrange with a few clips and bedsheets. Janelle whispered something in Tessa's eye, which made her smirk.

Tessa rose to her feet and sneakily spoke with all the guys, except for Edward, earning a few laughs.

"What are you up to?" Edward's eyes narrowed as Tessa pulled Bella aside.

"We're discussing the poses for group photos." Tessa offered a bit too sweet of a smile.

"Tess had a good eye for that kind of thing," Janelle spoke up, running her fingers through her short, dark hair.

Chris clapped his hands and rubbed them together, his Australian thicker than usual. "The camera is ready, let's do this."

After some adjusting, Edward was farther away from Bella while the group of men surrounded his smiling girlfriend. "If you insist on being in the photo," Chris said, with a shrug, "this is how it's going to be."

Edward glared for a bit but realized he could stow the jealous boyfriend away so that Bella could have some fun. She hadn't stopped smiling since she'd woken up. Who was he to put a stop to it? He shrugged and decided to just go with the flow. He stood at the far end of the backdrop, his arms crossed over his chest, and side-eyeing the others.

Chris, being the tallest among them, reached toward Edward with his hand, putting it on the side of Edward's cheek. The others laughed as Edward did his best to scowl and not chuckle, too. Meanwhile, Bella was all smiles, with Tom and Chris at her sides, while the others posed as if they were her protectors.

Tessa, who was behind the camera, asked them to do more fun shots. Tom and Paul lifted Bella off the ground and had her do the "laying on her side" pose, holding her up while a shocked Edward started to protest. The series of photos from that move turned out hilarious, Edward jokingly appearing upset but soon laughing his ass off with the others. Janelle figured out how to set up the timer on the camera and ran into the photo frame to join everyone for the last few photos.

Excited, Bella grabbed her laptop to check out all the pictures, Tom and Chris joining her on the couch. Everyone else disbursed to grab drinks and more food, except for Mark and Edward, who stood aside to watch over the others.

"You're a lucky man, Edward."

Edward only nodded, caught up in the moment. Bella fit in so well, was so genuine with his friends, yet he couldn't help but worry, and he said as much.

Mark patted his shoulder a few times. "She's stronger than she appears. I mean, look at her. She's sitting there with Tessa and Janelle as if they've been friends for years. Actually, she makes us comfortable because she doesn't treat us differently. You know that's rare in our business, right?"

"Yes, but there are those that treat us like anyone else, and it's all a show to make us comfortable." Edward had dealt with a few people that pretended they didn't know who he was, only to give out details of their encounter within minutes after meeting. "She's not like that, though. If someone is acting like an asshole, she'll call him or her on it."

Mark looked grim for a moment. "Which means some people in our world would automatically hate her because she doesn't fit the Hollywood mold."

"That's what I'm afraid of." Edward looked over at Mark. "Fuck them. I'll take a page out of her book and never allow someone to make me out to be someone I'm not."

"Then you two will be just fine."

"I want us to be happy," Edward was quick to point out.

Mark winked, nodding. "Like I said, just fine."

.

.

.

* * *

Everyone left some time after midnight with full stomachs, laughter on their lips, and promises to get together again. Already Bella had a dinner date with Tessa and Janelle the following month.

Bella sighed as she settled beside Edward on the couch. There was a small smile on her face before it fell. "At first, I worried that you paid them to join us."

Edward was ready to deny it, but she put her finger on his lips.

"That was until I got to know them a little." She sighed, laughing a bit. "I think I finally understand that _some_ huge movie stars are just like everyone else, rather than what Hollywood makes them out to be."

" _Some_ ," Edward emphasized the word a bit more. "We both know there are quite a few that have egos as large as the fucking moon and think they deserve to be treated like damn royalty. As we attend events together, you'll learn who those people are."

Bella was curious but wasn't one to gossip; she'd rather see it for herself. "Now that everyone is gone, I can do this." She straddled Edward on the couch, earning a deep moan as his hands gripped her hips.

"Which also means I can do this." His hands slid over her ass and tugged her closer. The warmth between her thighs hit his cock just right. Their lips fused together, a melody of groans and moans, whispered love mingled in the air. There wasn't much talk after that, their mouths too preoccupied with the other. A trail of discarded fabric led to the bedroom where they lost themselves for hours.

Edward watched over Bella as she slept, a touch of worry still on his mind. It wouldn't be all rainbows and flowers; he knew that there would be bumps along the way. As long as they communicated well, they could work through whatever Hollywood would throw at them.

Bella's hand skimmed the trail of hair between his belly button and his cock, deeply sighing when she realized it was still there. "Thank God," she whispered, giving him a little pat.

Edward captured her hand before she brought him back to full attention, not wanting to wake her. She finally settled again with her head on his chest, his arms securely wrapped around her.

One day, she'd be his wife, and fuck anyone that would dare get in the way of that future. He was never more thankful for the sudden desire to do something normal, to be incognito among thousands of people with the same interests. It led him to Bella and for that, he'd always be thankful.

* * *

 **AN: Only the epilogue left. I have some things planned for the epilogue, but every time I sit down to work on it, my brain is in denial and won't let me. What would you like to see? I have a few things in mind, hopefully, my brain will jumpstart after I post.**

 **Thanks to Kyla713 for your help with the chapter. I'm currently sitting beside kyla713 (visiting her for 10 days!), each of us working on fic, and I'm ever so thankful for this fandom. I never would've met my best friend without it.**


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